


Things change (don't let it get to you)

by charons_boat



Series: The Expansion Packs: Three Sentence Prompts Edition [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Bob Ross is mentioned, Bounty Hunting, Exploration, Futuristic, M/M, Mr. Ed is mentioned, Multi, Siren, Space Station, THIS IS SO SOFT AND SO OFTEN GOES NOWHERE PLOTWISE, Vampires, mentions of abuse, rift worlds, space, space aquarium, space date, spaceship, there's a ds, thrift store, yay space robots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:40:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 36,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23650093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charons_boat/pseuds/charons_boat
Summary: The crew of the Fallen Angel was the most wanted band of criminals in the entire galaxy. Arrian couldn’t have cared less about that. All he really wanted was to kill the infamous Captain of the ship, Kelcey Ambrose, and escape the brig of the criminal fortress.
Relationships: Aeron Akuji/Beaumont Cessair, Arrian/Kelcey Ambrose, Arrian/Kelcey Ambrose/Verne Langdon, Arrian/Verne Langdon, Cain & Norae & Hanraoi, Kelcey Ambrose/Verne Langdon, Lucius Lu & Cimeilliauc, Rem Barbeau/Hanraoi
Series: The Expansion Packs: Three Sentence Prompts Edition [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1671889
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	1. An Introduction of Arrian

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ihopeitsfriday](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ihopeitsfriday/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Promise](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18851542) by [0KKULTiC](https://archiveofourown.org/users/0KKULTiC/pseuds/0KKULTiC). 
  * Inspired by [HALA HALA](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19261138) by [0KKULTiC](https://archiveofourown.org/users/0KKULTiC/pseuds/0KKULTiC). 



> so, it's gonna be obvious when you read it, but this has changed a bit since i wrote the original three sentences that have bene used as the summary. i'll make sure to tag anything that comes up, as always, and please enjoy! this has 13k of extra scenes, two of which i never really planned to write. thank you to callie and isabella for beta-ing this!

Arrian was nothing more than an old teen, looking to escape his poor excuse of a life for a few hours. When a ship had landed on the outskirts of one of the smallest towns on his planet, he hadn't thought twice. He had figured that they'd be here for a few hours, a day at longest, and he'd planned to be off the ship by then. The only reason he snuck onto it in the first place was the fact that he was fairly certain his parents wouldn't look for him on the big, strange ship.

Intergalactic news didn't make it onto Arrian's home planet very often. They were fairly isolated from the rest of the universe; their tech wasn't on the same level as the tech on many other planets, and they rarely used the connection to the intergalactic system. They preferred being simple and staying out of trouble. It was because of this that no one knew to fear the ship that had landed on their planet.

They were cautious about it, of course, but they weren't terrified like they'd have been if they had stayed more in touch with things outside their planet. It wasn't just any ship that landed. This ship, nearly twice the size of the three story city hall, was imposing and as black as coal. The ship, relatively small compared to others, would've been part of a fleet of similar ships, used to carry out small missions or protect a larger ship. This particular ship had no fleet, and its weapons systems were far more dangerous than those on ships with similar construction: both a personal desire and a product of boredom channelled into upgrades. Two words, elegant in their thin white brushstrokes and stylized cursive, could be found above the boarding ramp: _Fallen Angel_.

None of this mattered to Arrian as he relaxed behind a box labeled 'Goldfish'. All that mattered was that he was finally in a place where his parents wouldn't be able to find him.


	2. An Introduction of Kelcey

Kelcey Ambrose had worked hard in his life. He'd gone through a lot of hardship and hard situations to even obtain his ship, and he'd worked harder to gain the respect of the crew he gathered. Evading the various police forces of the planets they visited and robbed was difficult work at times, especially since Kelcey almost always flew his ship manually. 

He and his crew were easily the most wanted criminals in the entire galaxy. They had murdered and robbed countless people, outsmarted and pissed off innumerable others even outside their wrongdoings. They were hated by governments and bounty hunters alike, both because they were uncatchable and because they often took on the role of bounty hunter themselves. No one knew exactly who they worked with, but many prisons would often find their bounties sitting on their doorstep, gagged and bound, the wing of an angel cut into the soon-to-be-prisoners' faces. 

Oftentimes, the crew would take hits and become killers-for-hire for a few days. They ran drugs and smuggled contraband, even busted people out of high security prisons if they were paid enough. There were few boundaries they refused to cross, and they included the murder or rape of women and children. 

It was no small wonder that the ship had never once had a stowaway. Few dared to come anywhere near the ship when it landed, and usually the automatic defense system would take care of them if they did. However, the crew had been in a particularly brutal battle just three days ago, and the automatic system had been hit. The only reason they landed was to get the parts to repair the ship. They didn't realize, even from the information available on the galactic system, that the planet was so cut off that they wouldn't even have an engine primer for the ship.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for anyone who hasn't read asylum fic (Change in the House of the Fallen) kelcey is a prideful ass! it's not as bad in this though
> 
> mentions of cursing, exacerbating injuries, and abusive parents

I jolted awake when the metal beneath me began to hum. I sat up and looked around, my mind taking a few moments to catch up to what was happening. There had been a ship. I'd snuck onto it to hide for a few hours. _I fell asleep_. The ship was humming. I furrowed my brow and then gasped as I felt the ship moving. _It was moving._

I stood up and tried to walk forward, closer to what I hoped was the driving area of the ship; hopefully, they'd let me off if I got to them before we left the surface. It lurched forward and I went the opposite direction, landing heavily on my back. My head collided painfully with the hard floor and I shouted in pain. Then, a sharp pain spread through my back and I realized I must have landed on something other than the floor. I rolled onto my side and gasped as I felt ripped skin stretching painfully. Before I could move any farther, I was grabbed roughly and yanked onto my feet.

"Who the fuck are you," the man demanded, shouting in face. I squeezed my eyes shut and winced as he shook me. "Answer me! What the fuck are you doing on our ship?!"

"I-I didn't mean to fall asleep, I was gonna leave, I just- I wanted to hide somewhere they wouldn't find me, and- and your ship was just- I'm sorry! If you let me go I'll leave, I-"

"Oh, no, I'm afraid sneaky little stowaways don't get to just leave. You're staying right- hey, look at me when I'm talking to you," he demanded, shaking me again. I opened my eyes and looked at him. He was rather attractive, even spitting mad as he was. His hair was dark brown and slightly curly, his eyes darker. I wasn't sure if it was natural or enhanced by rage. His eyes and lips seemed to have a naturally kind set to them, contorted by his rage at my presence on the ship. I winced as his grip on my arms tightened.

"I'm sorry, please, just let me go! I promise I wasn't going to stay, I- I just needed to hide for a few hours," I said, pleading with the man, hoping desperately that he'd let me go and forget he ever met me. He stared, his grip still too tight. I figured my arms would be bruised once he finally let go.

"Who the fuck would you be hiding from if not us," he muttered, brow screwed up in confusion. I looked away and didn't answer. His expression was consumed by annoyance and he shook me again. "I said, who were you hiding from?"

"It's not your concern. I'm gonna get in trouble. Just let me go," I asked quietly, trying to pull myself from his grip. He narrowed his eyes at the weak attempt and suddenly looked down at my arms. He let one go in favor of looking more carefully at my wrist and forearm. His gaze traveled up and he turned me around so he could see my back. He lifted the back of my shirt and I tried to pull away again, but his grip tightened quickly. He turned me back around and his eyes were slightly more open.

"Who the fuck has been pulling a belt on you at this age? And with the buckle? Why the fuck would you want to go back," he asked, sounding outraged and confused.

"It doesn't matter. Let me go," I demanded, finally starting to get angry. He shook his head.

"No can do, kid. You're my prisoner now. You gotta stay," he said. There was no room for arguing, not with the tone he used. He hit me over the head and everything went black.

When I woke up, I was in a small room. One side was all metal bars, except for the thick door. I could see into the cell across from me; I stared until I realized the dark stain on the wall was dried blood. I looked away and began to sit up, stopping when I realized something on my back felt weird. I reached back and found soft cloth under my fingertips as opposed to the raised welts and tender bruises I was used to. I frowned and touched the back of my head, feeling the bandage under my black hair. Upon further inspection, I found a bandage on the back of my left elbow as well.

A door opened somewhere far to the right, the screeching groan making me wince. Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the hall of cells and I moved closer to the wall. And suddenly he was there again, though this time he didn't look terribly angry. He carried a plate of food.

"What did you do to me," I asked angrily. He raised an eyebrow.

"We bandaged you," he said, saying it like it was half a question.

"Why? I'm just a stowaway! Why won't you let me go," I demanded. Even I could hear my own frustration.

"Basic human decency. We don't give it to many unless, like you, they're just confused kids or people who didn't really do anything wrong. We can't let you go for two reasons: one, we'd have to land to drop you, and we need to land somewhere that _actually_ has what we need to fix the ship; two, you know what I look like and could report me to some government, and then we'd have to avoid them. Oh, actually, there're three reasons. You can't go back to abusive parents or whatever the fuck," he said. He took note of the wince I couldn't stop at 'abusive parents' and nodded. "Now, eat your dinner. I'm only here as long as it takes you to finish. We don't let our prisoners starve themselves."

I ate the food quickly, not really tasting anything. I could barely eat all of it despite the fact that he hadn't given me a whole lot. He must've caught onto the fact that I was really thin and adjusted accordingly. I was really confused and spent the rest of my conscious hours thinking about it. I'd stolen onto his ship while he was gone, and I was, as he'd said, his prisoner. So why was he refusing to let me go home? Why was he trying to feed me properly and tend to my wounds?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of his old pride and behavior reminiscent of asylum fic but like this time it actually kinda comes out of a place of concern he gets better don't worry uwu
> 
> Ooh and a glimpse into more of the world beyond the ship 👀
> 
> Uh and like strongish language and mentions of lots of murder

People came and went. Never willingly, of course, because they were prisoners like me. Sometimes I'd talk to them, ask them who they were and why they'd been brought here. Most looked at me like I was crazy, and the few that explained said they had bounties on their heads and were going to be turned in. Some asked me why I was here in return, and I said I'd accidentally become a stowaway. It was the second time I said that that I learned exactly where I was.

"Why would you sneak onto the ship of a group of known criminals," the small woman asked. I blinked at her in confusion before furrowing my brow and trying to think.

"I… what are you talking about," I asked. She laughed.

"Do you really not know? This is the _Fallen Angel_. Its crew are the most wanted criminals in the galaxy," she said. The door opened before I could respond, and Kelcey walked down the hall, pushing a cart of food in front of him. He stopped in front of my cell; I'd learned a while ago that mine was the last on this row. He leaned forward and rested his elbow on the handle, his hand spreading over most of his cheek when he put his chin in his palm. He looked between the female prisoner and I.

"Arrian, angel, what has she been telling you," Kelcey asked loudly, tilting his head back to look at me. I swallowed and fidgeted, but answered anyway.

"She told me you guys are criminals," I said quietly. He sighed, and I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and saw that he was nodding.

"We are, technically. Did she tell you why we have her down here," he asked. There was a certain expectation in his voice. I shook my head. "Arrian, you know how I like being answered." Underneath the annoyance, I thought I almost heard a quiet care.

"I'm sorry, sir. She didn't tell me about herself," I said. I brought my knees to my face and rested my chin on them, glancing at him. He smiled softly and nodded.

"I didn't think she would. She's got a few hundred thousand units on her head for the murder of countless children. She's a psychopath. I don't think you should talk to her, angel. I don't want her to ruin you," Kelcey told me. I glanced at him, and then I looked away because I couldn't handle whatever the look in his eyes meant.

"I won't talk to her anymore, Mr. Ambrose. I didn't know she'd done that."

"Good boy. As for you, you murderous _bitch_ , don't you say another word to him. I don't want you fucking with his head. He's the closest thing to a real angel around here, and if I find you've done something to him… I might break one of our rules," he snarled at the woman. She didn't react farther than a poisonous glare directed at him. He straightened up and grabbed a plate. When he turned towards me, he was smiling again. He opened the door to my cell and walked in, setting the plate down on the little wooden table he'd gotten for me a few months ago.

"Thank you, sir. For the food and the table. I don't think I ever thanked you for it. And for… telling me about her," I said, glancing at the woman in the cell opposite me. She had stared with wide eyes the first time she saw him open my cell to give me food. He nodded, and his smile got bigger.

"You're welcome, angel. It's the least I can do for you right now," he said quietly. He kissed my cheek quickly and left. Any trace of warmth left his voice as he dealt with the other prisoners. I ate quietly and thought. I was no longer too thin. My cheeks felt a lot bigger than they had when I first got on the ship, and there was no longer an overlap when I wrapped my middle finger and thumb around my wrist. Unlike before, there was no way anyone would ever describe me as skin and bones now.

Kelcey was really nice to me most of the time. The only reason he ever got angry at me was when I asked why they wouldn't let me go. His face would darken and he'd glare viciously, and he'd crouch down and get close to the bars, and he'd tell me I would never leave. He never came inside though. He let me keep my own space when he was angry at me.

A few days later, I was alone again. They'd taken care of the rest of the prisoners, as Kelcey always said when I asked what they did with them. The door opened and I stopped working on the multi-colored cube. Kelcey had given it to me a while ago, told me I'd get something special when I made all the colors match. I set it down beside me and stood up, walking over to the bars. I debated whether I really wanted to ask again, but before I could convince myself not to, he was already there.

"Kelcey, why can't you let me out? I just-"

"I've told you before. You're mine, Arrian. You aren't the crew's prisoner, and you aren't the ship's prisoner either. You are _mine_ , and I will have no one and nothing taking you from me. If I let you go, you'll leave and never return. Someone will snatch you up and you won't ever look back," he said. He'd never sounded so sad before. He still sounded angry, but there was also an extra layer to his voice filled with worry and pain.

"Kelcey, I don't wanna go back home. I don't wanna leave the ship. I just wanna leave the- wherever this is. I don't wanna be down here with bounties and psychos. I hate it down here. I hate being alone down here, and I hate being surrounded by strangers who don't care," I said quietly, trying to keep back my tears as I pleaded with him. The anger in his face dissolved and his gaze slid past me, looking towards my bed.

"You're still working on the Rubik's cube," he asked quietly. I looked at my bed and saw the colorful cube. I nodded.

"It's really difficult. We never had anything like that at home. I've got almost two sides done," I responded, just as quietly. His face went slack and he closed his eyes, leaning his head against the bars. He sighed and looked at me.

"I was going to… I would've asked if you wanted to meet more of the crew. When you finished. I thought you knew how to do them. Almost everyone does by now, they've been around for thousands of years. I'm gonna have to clean out another room for you first… you've got a lot of it done. How about you meet the rest of the crew first? I'll work on getting your room ready and buying you clothes and stuff. Does that sound okay," he asked. I bit my lip and nodded. He smiled and backed away, leaning down to pick up the food he'd set on the ground without me noticing. He opened the door and gave it to me, sitting down on the floor with me while I ate.

"Thank you, sir," I said quietly once I was done eating. He leaned forward, smiling softly, and put a hand on my cheek.

"You're welcome, angel. You've gained a lot of weight. That's good," he said, staying quiet for a few moments before his smile dropped slightly. "Arrian, I'm curious. Do you know why your eyes are that silvery-grey?"

"I… don't know. My parents' eyes were both brown," I told him. He glanced at my hair and bit his lip before moving a little closer and running a hand through my hair. I winced, knowing it was greasy. I hadn't showered since I came here.

"And… your hair? It's really dark. From what I saw when we were on your planet, there weren't a whole lot of people with dark hair," he said.

"They had… blond hair. I- I'm confused, now. I never thought about it before. Why-"

"Hey, don't worry about it, angel. I'll look into it. I'm sure it's nothing. Do you want a haircut after you take a shower? It's really long," he said, running his hands through it again, working out tangles as he found them.

"I don't think so. Maybe just a little trim, but I think I like it long. My parents never let me have it this long," I said, tempted to play with the ends of it but deciding not too. Kelcey nodded.

"I remember how short it was at first. It looks good both ways, honestly, but… I think I like it better long," Kelcey said. I smiled and nodded. He picked up the plate and stood, taking his hand from my hair. "I'll try to send them in one at a time. Maybe over a few days. It won't be as overwhelming, I think."

Then, he was gone. I stood up and sat back down on my bed. I picked up the cube and started turning it again. I finished the second side, and moved onto a third.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alexis this is for you, because you said I remind you of lizzo and made me soft times in the club uwu


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAIN STORYLINE DONE next is just extra scenes and maybe I'll do summaries of them no I won't nvm
> 
> Meeting the rest of the crew can you tell I tried to add in stuff from asylum fic?? Cause I tried lmao

I was asleep when the door opened. The squeaking hinge woke me up, and I scratched the back of my head as I waited for Kelcey to come into view. The first thing I noticed was that the hair was wrong. Then, when he turned to face me, I realized that the face was wrong. This was a completely different person.

This man had bright red hair that stuck out in every direction, and his eyes were the color of rust. He didn't say anything for a few seconds, taking the time to just look at me. Then, his face lit up with a smile and opened the door to my cell, sitting outside and looking in through the empty doorway.

"Hi. My name is Lucius Lu. I'm half vampire, which is why my eyes are red. There were a lot of vampires on my home planet. I'm also half Korean. I wasn't sure if you could tell," he said. I smiled.

"I'm Arrian. I think I might be half something odd, because my hair and eyes aren't from either of my parents. I don't know what though," I said. He nodded.

"Kelcey talks about you a lot. At first it was concern over how badly you wanted to go home, or over how thin you were. Now, it's just because he worries about what others might be saying while you're down here, his desire to let you out and his fear that you'd want to leave permanently. He didn't mention you were so cute," the half vampire said with a wink. I laughed a little and he smiled. "I work on faking documents and stuff with another member of the crew. Sometimes we don't _really_ have the credentials we need to do our work, or we're going somewhere we aren't as well known, so we make fake identities and stuff. It's really fun, sometimes. We all like pretending to be different people." I bit my lip.

"I've never had a fake identity. I don't think I've ever even had a real identity card. I just know my parents always called me Arrian," I told him. He nodded.

"If you don't wanna have to introduce yourself over and over again, I can tell the others what you told me," Lucius offered. I nodded after hesitating for a moment.

"That'd be nice. Thanks. Uhm, why didn't you come in when you opened the door," I asked.

"Oh. Well, I didn't want to talk through the bars, but I didn't want to invade your space. I can get really touchy sometimes if I'm too close to someone, so I figured I'd better play it safe just in case you weren't comfortable with that," he explained.

"Oh, I see. Thanks for the consideration, you're probably right about that. I'm not sure how I feel about… touching. I mean, it doesn't really bother me when Kelcey does it, but he doesn't do it often," I said. Lucius raised an eyebrow at me and I blushed. "It's just, like you said, he gets concerned. That's all." Lucius smiled and nodded.

"Well, I'll make sure to tell the others they can talk like this," he said, standing up and dusting off his pants. "I'll leave the door open since Kelcey's coming anyways. Enjoy your meal." His footsteps were a lot quieter than Kelcey's, and I only realized it once I heard Kelcey's steps echoing over Lucius's. They stopped a moment and said something to each other, and then Kelcey's steps continued towards me. He smiled at me and walked through the open door, handing me the plate of food. He waited until I'd finished to talk to me.

"How'd it go," he asked nervously. I smiled at him.

"It was nice. Lucius is really kind. He opened the door but didn't come in. He said he wasn't sure if I was okay with being touched, and he stayed out because he tended to get really touchy." Kelcey suddenly looked guilty, and he moved a few inches away from me and turned so he could look at me better.

"Are you okay with being touched? I never asked, I just assumed-"

"It's okay. I don't really mind it when you touch me, and you don't do it for very long. I think it's okay, at least it has been so far," I told him. I smiled softly and laughed a little. "I'm not sure why you'd want to touch me, though. I'm sure I'm really dirty." He laughed with me and opened his mouth to say something. I never found out what it was, though, because something beeped three times and his eyes widened. He shot off the bed and whirled around.

"I'm sorry. I've gotta go. There's someone chasing us. I'll be back tomorrow, the day after at the latest, promise," he said, kissing me on the cheek, grabbing the plate, and running down the hall. Neither door ended up being shut, but I stayed in my room.

The next person to come had long brown hair, though it wasn't as long as mine. It was slightly wavy, and his eyes were dark. It looked like there were light rings on his fingers.

"I'm Cimeilliauc. Lucius and I usually fabricate the stuff we need for our missions," the brunet said. He leaned against the doorframe.

"Hi. Do you- are you wearing rings? I can't really tell," I said. He nodded.

"Do you wanna see," he asked. I nodded, watching as he walked closer. He held out his left hand, and I saw that the rings were tan colored. They didn't look like metal. As if he knew what I was thinking, he spoke again. "They're made of goat horn. I had some on the other hand too, but they got broken when I got into a fight a few weeks ago. I admit it wasn't the best idea, but at the time it just felt like something I should do."

"Who'd you fight," I asked curiously. He didn't look like someone who got in a lot of fights. He smiled and the corners of his eyes crinkled, a set of dimples appearing.

"A wall. I got angry at Lucius actually. You haven't known him long, so I bet it's hard to imagine, but he can be really annoying. I decided punching a wall was better than punching him, so that's what I did. I should've gone and punched my pillow," he lamented. I cracked a smile and laughed at the thought of him punching a wall. "What's so funny?" He didn't sound angry. I could hear mock-anger mixed with amusement. I shook my head.

"It's nothing. Are you touchy? If you aren't, you can sit on the bed. I'm still not sure how I feel about being touched, except that I don't mind Kelcey doing it," I said. He nodded.

"Lucius mentioned that. I'm not super touchy, but I'll sit on the floor," he said, quickly folding his legs beneath himself and looking back up at me.

"Why'd you sit on the floor," I asked. He glanced at the door.

"He wouldn't say it, but Kelcey gets jealous and insecure pretty easily. He'd probably get mad if he saw me on the bed with you, though he wouldn't take it out on you. He'd probably just overwork himself or take more hits to blow off steam," Cimeilliauc said. I nodded. "Oh, I forgot. Most of the crew just calls me Mel, since my name is pretty difficult to pronounce." I thought for a moment and smiled.

"I don't think you could get a nickname out of Arrian."

He left when Kelcey came with food, and Kelcey asked how it went again. I told him I enjoyed it, and he smiled brightly before leaving again.

I met Aeron Akuji, who was barely older than me, with watery blue eyes and white hair, the pale strands brittle from multiple dyes. He cooked most of the meals and was often in charge of finding new bounties or hits to pursue. I met Beaumont Cessair at the same time. Beaumont, sometimes called Beau, had eyes grey as ash and red streaks in his black hair. Beaumont dealt with maps and charting their courses. Beaumont and Aeron were together, though I didn't learn that from them.

Cain, Hanraoi, and Norae were siblings, though they didn't tell me their last name. Cain's hair was pink with a black undercut. Hanraoi's was light brown, and Norae's was black. They all had dark eyes. Cain was in charge of firing the guns on the ship at their attackers and targets. The day he visited, he had to leave early to go shoot some people who were chasing them. Hanraoi was the mechanic. He said that whenever he got bored, he just went and worked on the ship. That was the reason most of their weapons were more destructive than those on similar ships. Norae was the medic and had been the one to bandage my wounds when I was injured as the ship took off. I told Kelcey that I'd enjoyed their visits too.

Throughout the process of meeting everyone, Kelcey would ask me questions about what colors I liked or what styles of clothing I was comfortable in. I told him to pick whatever colors he thought I'd look nice in, and that big, loose, comfortable clothes would be okay for a while. All I'd really ever had were dirty clothes salvaged from trash bins or donation stores, so I wondered what it'd be like to have my own clothes. I figured that honestly, it probably wouldn't feel that different from having second-hand clothes, but maybe it'd feel nicer to have clothes that were all new.

Before I knew it, Kelcey was standing in the doorway, smiling at me. His footsteps had woken me up, and now I just lay in my bed squinting at the ceiling as I tried to adjust to being awake again.

"Arrian, are you ready," Kelcey asked quietly. I pushed myself up and squinted at him, the lights above him making it hard to see and draping him in a kind of halo.

"Ready for what?" He laughed softly and walked into my room, kneeling by the side of my bed.

"Are you ready to go see your room? I mean, you can take a shower first, if you want, but- well, everything's ready for you," he said quietly, his voice full of warmth and excitement. I blinked at him, and then a smile spread across my lips. I tried to bite the bottom one to contain the smile, but it didn't work. I nodded, and he smiled even more widely. He stood up and took hold of my hand. I didn't even realize until we were down the hall that we'd forgotten my table and Rubik's cube. "We already moved them, angel. Don't worry about that."

Walking up the stairs, out of the prison for the first time since I'd come onto the ship, felt like a dream. I'd never thought that I'd get to leave once I was down there. My legs shook going up the stairs, and I was surprised to see that Kelcey's did too, despite his frequent coming and going. I almost asked him about it, but I figured it could wait. We had all the time in the galaxies, after all.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here until the end, it's just extra scenes!!

Lucius and Cimeilliauc had been working extensively on figuring out what I was--after Kelcey had mentioned it and I'd expressed the desire to know, that is. They even used the smallest scraps of their free time to work on the ever-growing project. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy whenever I witnessed it. It felt really nice that they were so willing to help me, their interest in the topic made obvious by the growing binder of information they'd been compiling.

I didn't understand most of what they were researching when I watched them working. The one thing I was able to help them on, however, was the discussion of old legends from my home planet. There were plenty of stories about what had lived on the planet before my ancestors came and eradicated them, making way for the new settlement that had since expanded. My hometown had been one of the smallest settlements on the planet, the largest being halfway across the planet and not much farther advanced than our town. One story said dark skinned savages, and another said beings come from the stars themselves; most of the population had figured that must've meant just another group of settlers. The stories were old and much warped from constant telling, and subsequent alteration, over hundreds of years.

The day they called me, the slim sheet of durable crystal letting out a sound like glass chimes, I hadn't expected much. I'd figured maybe they just wanted to hang out, or wanted me to confirm or deny parts of more legends they'd found. I walked into their shared office and found them sitting behind their desk, the dark surface uncharacteristically clean. The only thing on the desk besides their arms and elbows was the thick binder, filled to the brim with papers. I took a seat in the chair opposite them, and they leaned back in their seats almost in sync. They went from poring over the binder to looking at me. They sat in silence for a moment before Lucius started speaking.

"We've got it figured out. Well, I mean, the most likely solution? Answer? Whatever you wanna call it, Mel and I have looked at everything we could possibly find and we've taken into account your characteristics. We think we can explain almost everything to you, if you'd like us to," the redhead told me, serious and unsmiling for once. He was usually full of enthusiasm and joy. I'd never seen him so straight-faced. I glanced at the brunet next to him, and he nodded.

"Uhm, go ahead, then, I guess." Mel flipped through the pages, all the way to the front, and flipped the binder around so I could read it. He began talking after he pushed it towards me.

"We started by trying to find your birth records. We contacted your supposed parents and the hospital in your hometown. As you can see there, we recorded the conversation with both and printed out what was said. Your parents were less than accommodating, and the hospital said they didn't have your records. They directed us to the planet's main hospital and told us that that one had _all_ the records, and what we were looking for should be there. Flip the page, please," he directed. I nodded and turned to the next page, looking at the small print on the page. "They didn't have your birth certificate either, nor did they have any treatment records. If you recall, we asked you a while ago if you could ever remember being sick?"

"Yea, I remember. I still can't. I mean, I've been malnourished and I've gotten small cuts and stuff, but I still can't remember ever getting sick," I reiterated. They both nodded, and Lucius took over.

"We aren't sure that you're currently capable of getting sick. We suspect it would only happen under certain, very extreme circumstances. When it became clear that finding your birth or health records weren't going to be any use, we tried to research races based on traits you've exhibited. The inability to become sick should've been helpful, but there was surprisingly little we could use based on that. But then we remembered the sleeping thing," Lucius exclaimed. Three days after I'd permanently left the brig, Kelcey had asked me about the black mist that enshrouded me while I slept. He'd revealed that they'd seen it happen on the screens attached to the cameras in the holding area, and had even shown me.

"What about it? Did you figure out what it was," I asked. Lucius bit his lip.

"We didn't find a concrete explanation, but we found legends from other planets in your solar system. Many of them included mystical beings that consumed sin, effectively ridding the various planets of dark things. They were said to be immortal. We cross-referenced the legends with databases and legends from other galaxies, to see if there was any information on similar beings outside your solar system. Though the term 'angel' is usually used in religious connotations, we found it used frequently in reference to the descriptions of beings very similar to those talked of in stories in your solar system. When you mentioned them as something that was speculated by your people to have existed before your settlement began, we became more certain and tried to look into it further," the vampire said.

"Did you find more," I asked, unable to help sounding a little desperate.

"We may have hacked into a large, inaccessible government database. We only looked at their files on known, documented races, though Lucius may have memorized the password. He won't tell me for sure, but I'm sure he did. He always does," Cimeilliauc told me, sending a short glare at the half-vampire. Lucius stuck his tongue out and Mel rolled his eyes before looking at me again and continuing. "We found records on a race called Angelics. The government relies mostly on legends to put names to new races, going for whatever happens to be closest to the information they have available on a race. If you wanna look while I talk about it, it should be under the red tab." I turned to the first page under the red tab and was faced with a printed drawing. The being had long, dark hair and eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness of the scenery it had been drawn in. There were wings spread out behind it, and wisps of mist curled around it. I glanced up at Mel, and then Lucius, and I left the drawing showing as I listened to Mel talk.

"According to what we read, Angelics tend to be very tall, at least six feet tall and many verging on seven or even a few inches taller. Most of them were reported to have oddly colored eyes, though their hair was just as diverse as any other race. The wings were often added to add to the effect, though there are suspicions that some may have actually possessed wings. Most of those people also think that they wouldn't have been functional, being of the opinion that they'd be withered or crippled in some way. The most unique quality that they have is the ability to consume sin, though many have to kill sinners as opposed to absorbing it passively as you seem to do. They are often able to use the sin-mist that collects to do harm to others," he said. Cimeilliauc took a deep breath and flexed his hands before relaxing again.

"Arrian," Lucius said quietly, "you seem to fit with most of this. Your eyes are an odd color, and when you sleep, black mist surrounds you. We haven't touched it, but I'd bet that if we did… we probably wouldn't make it out alive. We have no clue how old this race can live to be or if it would make any sense for a small population to have escaped persecution, or even if any of them would've felt inclined to give you away to a family of the people who'd killed their ancestors hundreds of years ago. Our theory, though, is that a very small population survived long enough to give rise to you some decades ago, giving you to the man and woman that tried and failed to raise you. They may have been dying, or they may not have been able to feed you as well. You might even only be half Angelic, but that's what we think you are." I stayed silent for a moment before I took my eyes off the unnatural glow in the drawing.

"What happens if I-"

"Arrian, nothing bad will happen. Many Angelics were described as malicious, constantly on a hunt for sinners to purge. You aren't like that. You might not even be able to kill anyone that way. If you want, we can try to test it on any number of our bounties. I wouldn't worry about it, though, Arrian, because we are both _entirely_ sure that despite how you lived almost your entire life, you're simply too good to actively kill anyone."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing the new babie was fun because he literally died immediately in asylum fic lmao

Verne Langdon was an unexpected addition. He had been employed as a short-term bouncer for some high profile club on the planet we'd been visiting. We'd gone in, all of us dressed well and made up to impress, and the night had ended with some kind of a drug raid. We'd run out and I'd slammed face first into his well-muscled chest. Kelcey, of course, had been furious, assuming that Verne had grabbed me, and I had to convince him that it'd been my fault while my nose throbbed. We'd run and Verne had come with us; he'd recognized us, and said that he'd rather leave with us than get caught as part of the drug bust.

His presence at first was awkward, with most of the crew refusing to speak with him and Verne refusing to open up. He quickly began to prove his worth as a crew member when he helped out with nearly every job on the ship. He'd had quite a few odd jobs on various planets, and had a little bit of experience in many different occupations as a result. He was a wonderful cook, though not as good as Aeron, and he found quite a few high reward bounties and hits to pursue. He had an uncanny sense for ways to save fuel and money, and he knew a decent amount about machines. He'd been a nurse for a few months in one of the first hospitals to cure cancer, and his aim was deadly. He was big and intimidating, enough to warn off most trouble before it began, though he did have an odd knack for beginning fights without meaning to. There must've been some kind of challenge in his eyes, because I was nearly as big as he was and I never got in fights or warned off trouble. The only thing he never really messed with was the fabrication of false identities and credentials, simply because he knew his limited skills would do more harm than help. 

He asked me one day why my eyes were grey, and I asked why he had a wolf tattooed over his heart. He answered before I did. 

"My parents told me stories of werewolves when I was a child, always told me I must be as ferocious and dangerous as wolves if I was to survive on my home planet. Where I lived as a child it was extremely dangerous at any time of day. I got the tattoo to remind me of my parents' advice, the most they could ever give me. Your turn," he said, nodding towards me. I nodded and smiled. 

"I'm an Angelic. It's pretty much just a human that can eat sin and tends to be big and scary. I'm not scary, though I'm kind of big, I suppose, and I passively consume sin while I'm asleep. It manifests as black mist. You shouldn't touch it, if you ever see it. Just a precaution. I haven't killed anyone yet, but you never know," I told him. He nodded.

"I've heard stories of something like that. It's cool that they really exist," he said. I nodded and waited, because it seemed like he had something more to say. "Are you and the captain…"

"We're kind of together. It's not really official like Aeron and Beau, but it's pretty much as close as you can get to that without actually labeling it. Why'd you ask?"

"I thought you were, but I wasn't sure. You don't really touch each other a lot like most relationships, so I wasn't positive and didn't want to assume, but I kind of got that vibe," he said. I nodded and explained that I didn't really like being touched, and then I left to go work on a puzzle Kelcey had gotten for me. He got me little presents like puzzles and models to do, since he found it cute that I wasn't near as good at them as anyone else. I'd never had most of the things he gave me on my home planet, and I really enjoyed the challenge they presented to me. 

Verne opened up a lot more after that.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPACE TREASURE
> 
> This was one of my favorites and one of the first inspired by some stupid game I played. From here on out it's just extra things I really never meant to write.

For once, something happened in which I was just as clueless as everyone else.

This, as opposed to my being the _only one_ without any idea of what was going on, never happened. Of course, I'd been learning a lot since coming onboard, and it was becoming less common that I was completely out of my range of knowledge in most areas. But still, nothing had ever happened in which we were all completely, utterly lost.

Well, until we crossed some sort of threshold (as Mel called it approximately five minutes later) and entered… a place.

It was a strange place, that much I could tell at first glance, and it was _certainly_ nowhere we had ever been before. It was dark, but not like space was dark or like a planet was dark. There was simply… very little in the way of anything to bring light, and little in the way of anything else at all. It was mostly a sort of purple color that might be called a very dark blue by some. There were pockets of flashing reds and yellows, along with the occasional burst of metallic light. It was beautiful. It was terrifying, especially because Kelcey had gone completely still in his seat.

I pulled my eyes away from the world outside the ship and walked towards Kelcey, crouching down near his chair. I put my hand on his forearm, and it was frozen: cold and too solid to be anyone's flesh. I jerked my hand away and looked up at his face. Fear was etched onto his features, rigid and completely unmoving. The weak light from outside the window scattered over his skin and made him look sick. He looked like he was dying. I was going to talk to him, ask if he was okay, but I was scared he wouldn't answer, so I stood up.

"…crossed a threshold, right into wherever- _this_ is! I don't think we can get out by going backwards. Things never work like that. We need- I don't know! I've got no clue! Fuck, I've got absolutely no clue, I-"

"Mel, calm down, it's okay. You don't always have to have the answers. We'll figure it out," Lucius said as he wrapped the brunet in a tight hug. Verne stared at Kelcey and I, as he often did, a frown on his face. His gaze flickered up to catch my eyes, and his eyebrow quirked. I set my lips in a tight line and shrugged, trying to keep my fearful tears from falling. He uncrossed his arms and stood up, walking towards me. I let him give me a quick hug, just long enough for him to wipe my tears away and for the others to be shocked into silence. I rarely cried in the open or let anyone touch me, let alone Verne. Kelcey used to get upset when Verne touched me. The short interaction had them all looking at Kelcey, and then getting concerned when they realized he'd been silent.

I crouched down next to Kelcey's chair again, and Verne did the same on the other side. I glanced at Verne and he gave me a reassuring smile, putting his sharp canines on display. I smiled back and laced my fingers in between Kelcey's. Verne's hands were bigger than mine and Kelcey's both, absolutely dwarfing my hands any time we compared them. His fingers wriggled between Kelcey's and obscured most of the Captain's hand.

"Kelcey, we need you here. We need you to wake up. Please," I said softly. Kelcey has told me that when I talk quietly, it's like having feathers dragged across his skin. Verne agreed with that the first time he heard Kelcey say it.

"Come on, Kelc, you're scaring us. We need you to help us get out of this place," Verne said, sounding even quieter than I did because his voice is deeper. For a moment, nothing happened at all. Nothing seems to move, and I felt fear begin to swirl around inside my chest. Just before it crashed over the barrier to my mind, Kelcey took a stuttered breath. I half-sobbed in relief when I heard it, rejoicing when his hand squeezed mine. A smile spread over Verne's lips, and I knew it was because Kelcey squeezed his hand too. Kelcey's eyes blinked rapidly and he winced, falling forward a few inches before stopping himself. He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, and I raised my other hand to run it through his hair. He leaned into the touch and hummed softly, smiling when Verne began to do the same. After a few moments he leaned back in his chair, and we let our hands fall away from his head. He blinked his eyes open, and they were both the same dusky purple-blue as the world outside.

"Can you help me up," he asked, his voice softer than I've ever heard it. I could tell that talking was a struggle for him. We nodded and stood up, pulling him upright. He doesn't even bat an eyelash at the rest of the crew before asking Verne to carry him. I let go of his hand, but take it just as quickly once he's firmly on Verne's back. As he usually does, he directs Verne by tugging on his hair. Verne giggled every time Kelcey does it, because it apparently tickles to have us pull on his hair. We've found that he is the most hardcore example of the opposite of tender-headed that you will ever find. Kelcey led us to the loading dock, the rest of the crew following in very confused silence, where something sat in the exact center of the wide, empty space. All the scrap metal that had been in the now-spotless dock seems to have vanished, or perhaps been used by something to create this thing now taking up space in our ship.

The thing looked very much like what many children of the past would have called a treasure chest. It's rectangular, though it's constructed of metal sheets instead of wood planks, and the top has only the barest of curves to it. There's a heavy-looking lock hanging from a ring attached to the bottom half of the box, a flat piece of metal hinged on the lid locking it closed and held shut by the dark lock. I can't see any keyholes, but I knew there must be some way to open it.

Kelcey patted Verne's head, the signal to be put down, and Verne obliged. When he walked towards the box, we followed him because we'd never let him near something strange and possibly dangerous alone. Kelcey had told me a while ago that he was never going to let me face hardships alone again, and that sentiment had eventually spread to Verne as well. We both agreed that it was a good and proper promise, and we'd both made it to Kelcey as well. Verne never explicitly promised that to me, but it was very extremely implied at this point.

When Kelcey sat down in front of the box with his legs crossed, we both did the same thing. He stared at it for a moment before murmuring, soft enough that I knew the rest of the crew wouldn't be able to hear what he said.

"If we open this box, we'll be able to get out. You have to sacrifice something though. Something important to you. We'll all have to, just… anyone who's not here right now won't really be able to choose. I know what it won't take, so don't worry about anyone's relationships, but, we three have the most to give, so we must choose." His voice is laced with concentration, and it's clear that he's trying not to be distracted by anything. Before he finished speaking, I knew what I'd give up.

"What won't it take," Verne asked. Kelcey looked and sounded distant when he answered.

"Love and childhood. You can't leave if you have no love, or if you don't know who you are," he answered quietly, his brows furrowing as he does. His answer cements my decision even more firmly. I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Kelcey's cheek, leaning around him to do the same to Verne afterwards.

"I'm ready when you are," I told him softly. He glanced at me and smiled. Verne nodded as well and Kelcey let out a long breath. He unclenched his hands and shook them out before using the right one to tap on the blank lock three times, like he's knocking on a door. A soft hum filled the air, and everything went dark.

In honesty, though, it's not truly dark. It's just the same dusty purple as whatever place we've been in. I blinked, and a small light appeared in front of me.

_do you already know_

I nodded.

_make your offering_

"I offer you my identity as an Angelic."

_you cannot leave if you do not know what you are_

It sounded almost disapproving as it said this, and I smiled.

"I understand. I know who I am without needing to be an Angelic."

_explain_

"My name is Arrian, and I used to be a stowaway. I come from a small planet, and the people I thought of as parents abused me. Now, I live on a ship called the _Fallen Angel_ and I love two men. I'm not great at puzzles or riddles, and I'm still learning a lot of things, but I am precious to Kelcey and Verne and they are just as precious to me. I am Arrian, and being Angelic has never been something I needed to be me."

_you are wise, though you know little; know that if you leave your Angelic identity with me, you will someday die_

I smiled and nodded.

_very well then_

The light burned brightly before dissipating, and when I opened my eyes again, I was sitting in the loading dock of the ship again. I turned my head and saw Verne resting his head on Kelcey's shoulder. It made me smile. The others were all sitting on the floor with their legs crossed, all of them slumped forward like they were sleeping sitting up. Kelcey blinked, and he smiled sleepily when he saw me. He cupped my cheek with his free hand and ran his thumb over my cheekbone. I smiled softly and glanced at Verne. He coughed and woke up with a yawn, stretching as he rubbed his eyes with his hand and then opened them. His dark eyes had a dusky purple tinge to them. He sighed happily as he watched us, and the rest of the crew began to slowly wake up.

"Hey, the chest is open," someone shouted. Kelcey nodded and kept his thumb moving across my cheekbone.

"The things we sacrificed to open it will stay in this place. For now, while we are still here, we will remember what we have lost. Take this time to mourn your loss, and then we will open the chest and we will leave," Kelcey murmured. His voice echoed throughout the loading dock, and though he had spoken quietly, everyone heard him. The others came and sat around the chest, gathering up in a circle.

"Would it help to accept our losses if we talked about them," Norae asked. Kelcey considered for a moment before nodding.

"It wouldn't do any harm," the Captain responded. I moved closer to Kelcey and leaned against him, reaching an arm behind his back and pulling Verne's hand into mine. Kelcey wrapped an arm around my waist and meshed his fingers with mine, holding me tight as he put a hand in Verne's hair.

"I gave up being an Angelic," I said into the silent room. Everyone stared at me, and Kelcey let out a strange sound. It reminded me of heartbreak.

"Arrian, how are you going to leave if that's what you lost?" He took a stuttered breath, and I could hear that he was holding back tears. I smiled softly at him.

"I don't need to be Angelic to know who I am. I've never needed to know that since I came here. It hasn't ever had any effect on me, except maybe that I've never been sick. Even the mist at night doesn't do anything. I am Arrian, without or without being an Angelic," I said quietly. He stayed silent for a moment before laughing, tenderness filling the joyous sound.

"You've learned a lot since you left your home, hm, angel?" His hand squeezed mine, and I shook my head.

"I am home," I told him as I squeezed Verne's hand.

"I gave up my pride," Kelcey said. He smiled bitterly when we looked at him. "I realized that I didn't really need it. There are a lot of things that I make worse by being prideful. In the beginning, when you were first on the ship, I could've messed everything up. I was worried about you, but- it was hard to let anything kind through unless we were alone. I mean, if there were other prisoners, it was usually to mock them or surprise them or- I don't know anymore. I know it was stupid, though, and I know that I don't need my pride." He stared at the far wall for a moment before blinking and turning his head to press a kiss to my forehead. He pressed a kiss to Verne's nose, and I knew that he was probably thinking about the things he'd done to and because of Verne out of misplaced pride.

You're going to be mad at me, but- don't be mad, please," Verne said quietly, sounding like he was begging us. I figured that he probably really was. I wondered if he was scared. I nodded and Kelcey murmured a soft, 'promise'. Verne let out a shaky breath and swallowed. "I let go of most of my opinions about myself. I only kept the ones that told me I was worth your attention, that I really belonged here. Things like that. My own view of myself has always been really important to me; my parents told me I needed to be like a wolf, and I've spent most of my life trying to live up to that. I don't need to though. I know that, at least you two will keep me in balance. You won't let me fall into bad thoughts for long. I trust you guys."

I did the only thing I could think to do; I stood up and untangled my hand from Kelcey's, moving to Verne's right side and sitting as close as humanly possible. Kelcey and I wrapped him up in a warm tangle of arms and laced fingers, and he smiled unconsciously. I was half in his lap, but I didn't care. He needed to know that we were here for him.

Now on my right, Mel spoke up.

"My anger and irritation. I hadn't really realized it before, but everytime I think of myself, those two things are involved. I don't think they should be. They aren't good things, and they certainly aren't things I need. I don't like the thought that the easiest way to describe me involves emotions like that." He stared at the ground as he spoke, scared to look any of us in the eye. Lucius wrapped a hand around his forearm and squeezed lightly before letting go. Lucius sounded hesitant when he began to speak.

"For as long as I can remember, I've had this memory of my mother telling me that I should never be like full-blooded vampires. She said they're dangerous and evil, and that she was glad her mistake years ago had led to a miracle. Because of that, it's always been important to me that I was human, at least partially. It's made me feel like, as many bad things as we might do, at least I'm not a complete monster. But, I've heard stories of vampires who can control themselves. I met one a few months back, and she… she didn't seem like a monster. She was nothing like I remember from my home planet. She was kind and joyful, and slowly, I've realized that vampires aren't inherently monsters. So, I gave up being human. I don't feel any different right now, and I don't know if that's because they haven't taken anything away yet or if it's because it means I'm right. Either way, I trust that I'll be able to control myself. I'd never hurt any of you," the vampire said. He fiddled with his fingers, and he sent us all a shy smile when he was done. Next to him, Beaumont ran a hand through his black and red hair, the other clasped in Aeron's hand.

"I've always felt this weird connection to the universe. As a kid, I thought that maybe I was somehow born from the stars. Growing up, it helped me feel like I knew where I belonged when I was alone or being bullied. Since meeting all of you, I've realized that I've found a better place to belong. The stars are a lonely place to be unless you have friends with you. So, I gave up my connection to the stars in favor of being able to focus more on the connection I have with all of you," the noiret said, his ash colored eyes flashing as the light caught on the emotion caught up in them.

"You guys all did really sentimental stuff and I just decided to stop dyeing my hair," Aeron pouted. We all broke out laughing and the pout deepened. "I'm serious, I mean my hair is like dead and it really sucks sometimes. I've used my hair and stuff as a form of expression, but I thought about it and decided that there were better ways to express myself."

"Like what, babe? Tattoos," Beau asked, clearly joking. Aeron stayed quiet, and Beau stopped laughing. "Oh. Cool. I'll get some with you then." They would've continued they're conversation, that much I could tell just from looking at Aeron's face, but Beaumont said something that sounded like 'later' and Aeron nodded. Cain, Norae, and Hanraoi seemed to have a silent debate between them before Cain looked up.

"We're not really sure how exactly it happened, but it took the same thing from all three of us. Communication has always been something we try to focus on, because our family wasn't very open when we were younger and it drove our parents apart. The easiest way to explain, I guess, is that we can really only talk one at a time now. It's like a baton pass. Mentally. It might not make a lot of difference, but we really aren't sure," Cain said. I wondered if he spoke because he was the oldest of the three or if they thought he'd be able to explain the best. Everyone stayed silent for a moment before-

"We'll figure it out. As long as we stay together, we'll be okay," Beaumont said, sounding confident and more sure of his words than anyone else would have. Kelcey nodded and smiled, and then he extracted himself from Verne and leaned towards the chest. When he touched the chest, the lid swung open and landed against the back of it with a soft noise. It seemed that everything was soft in this place.

A soft voice and light filled the room when the lid opened. There was no gender to the voice, and the light had a weight to it that was both motherly and fatherly. It was like being wrapped in a reassuring hug, and I could feel the memory of my loss being washed away, as easy as an ocean pulling sand to and fro; I had gone once with Kelcey and Verne after a difficult drop-off, and we'd stayed out and watched the water and sand until the sun set.

_only one of you may bear this burden_

"What burden," I murmured softly. The voice answered with some kind of amusement.

_everything that happened here will be forgotten but by one; that one shall remember all, and must bear the mark of this place_

As soon as I heard that, I knew that Kelcey would insist it be him. I disagreed before he spoke his intention; as Captain he shouldn't be burdened by anything from a strange place like this.

"I'll do it," I said quietly. Kelcey turned to me with shock on his face.

"Arrian, no, I'm the Captain, I should take-"

"Kelcey, you can't be distracted by what happened in this place. I don't do much besides puzzles and riddles. I'll be okay, and no one will accidentally be compromised when you guys do your work. Let me do this, please," I begged. I could hear in his sigh that he'd already given up. The light began to dim, and I knew that everyone had agreed.

Before the light went completely dark, Kelcey murmured, "You should have told me it would end like this," into the emptying void. The light replied with a soft, _i am sorry_.

When I opened my eyes, we were flying through space again, just as we had been before we passed through some invisible doorway and entered the strange place of dusky, dusty purples and metallic light. I sat on the floor next to Kelcey's chair, my hand on his knee. A weight pressed upon my wrist and I looked down, noticing a heavy bracelet. It was cold, and I was sure it was metal. The material was a dusky purple, and the metal was quickly warming up from the contact with my skin. As I stared at it, the bracelet began rippling. It melted down my hand and collected around my left forefinger and thumb as three rings, the one on my thumb the same size as the two on my forefinger combined.

I looked at all the others and realized that they had all changed. They would act as if it had always been that way, but I'd have to learn to forget. As Beaumont had said, though, we would figure it out as long as we were together. I would adapt as long as I had them with me. The rings melted and reformed into a bracelet around my wrist, and I tightened my grip on Kelcey's knee for a moment. He glanced at me and smiled, placing a hand over mine and lacing our fingers.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a DS. You'll know what this means when it gets to it, but it's a DS. 
> 
> Warning for uh mentions of bad bad frostbite. 
> 
> Written because you should never go into maintenance tunnels on abandoned space ships. Not @ me naming the big cool space station in a way that makes it a pun,, whoever figures it out gets bragging rights 👀 
> 
> Sleepy Verne is literally my babie never say anything against him or I'll hunt you down lmao (you would not believe how many time so yawned writing Verne)

Space stations were things that had been relatively common early on. Once technology had advanced and personal ships became more common, they began to decline in popularity and use. There were still some running, even a very large one called Stackhelm that functioned as a trade hub and generally neutral zone. All of this I learned from Kelcey, Mel, or Lucius, of course.

They all told me that most of them had been dismantled by now, the scrap used to construct weapons or ships or sold in markets. Some had been destroyed during attacks from early criminal crews desperate for money or materials. Most often, apparently, they were simply left alone and left to an eternity floating in stasis. Their technology was too old to be of any use, and it was often cheaper to buy most metals than it was to try and salvage the burnt, damaged metal most were left with.

Kelcey had never come across a run-down space station himself. There never seemed to be any in the places he visited, and in the past they had often been flying too fast to notice much of anything. I tried to ignore the implication that they tended to be in _danger_ when they passed through new parts of the universe, and instead wondered what it would be like to visit a space station. I'd been told that we would visit Stackhelm someday when we got a big haul of strange items, since the trade hub was known to be a particularly good place to get rid of peculiar things that most would be hesitant to buy, but I figured that would be different from visiting a genuine space station that was in its original condition, not converted into something else.

I was sleeping, curled up next to Verne, when I felt a light touch on my cheek. I blinked and stared at the wall in front of me, my view half block by a dark blur. My eyes cleared and I looked up to see Kelcey smiling at me, the left side of his lip caught in his teeth. I wiggled backwards until I ran into Verne, smiling when he put an arm around me and pulled me closer. I looked back up at Kelcey as he sat down on the edge of the bed; I knew he wouldn't lie down beside us because he didn't like putting his shoes on the sheets.

"Hey, angel. We found something and I wanted to see if you and Verne were up for taking a look with us?" He fiddled with his hands as he spoke, clearly nervous and excited. He always got this way when he got to show me new things. I started laughing at him, and even in his sleep Verne laughed as well. Not only did Verne laugh in his sleep, he also talked and walked, and all three things were extremely alarming the first times they happened.

"What is it," I asked, curiosity coloring my voice along with my lingering amusement. Verne coughed and I winced when I felt his hot breath rushing past my ear. He yawned right in my ear and I could feel him stretching out behind me. Kelcey watched him for a few seconds, probably distracted by the way Verne's shirt (always) lifted when he stretched and flashed the tan skin and the dip of his belly button usually hidden by his shirt, before looking back at me and smiling. The smile was so big that his eyes crinkled and his gums showed.

"We found a wrecked space station. It's newer than most of the ones we've read about by a few hundred years, and in better shape than most of them as well, but it looks like it'll be fun to explore. I remembered you saying something about wanting to visit one, and I thought maybe we could do that today," Kelcey said, voice bordering on soft. He was probably speaking quietly for Verne's benefit, since it usually took the noiret a few minutes to fully adjust to being awake.

I sat up and raised my arms over my head, trying to stretch out my muscles, sore from sleeping curled up, and answered, "It _does_ sound really exciting. Maybe after a shower? Gotta make sure I look pretty for all the people on the station, right?" Kelcey started giggling as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and ended up sitting next to him, close enough that our thighs were touching. He rested a hand on my thigh and rubbed gentle circles into my grey sweatpants. The bed dipped and creaked behind us and Verne draped his arms over our shoulders, resting his head between ours and yawning again as he let us take the weight of his still-tired body. He could never seem to get enough of sleep, even when he slept half the day.

"Wha're we talkin' _ahh_ bout," he slurred, his voice still deep from sleeping. I turned my head and kissed the side of his mouth, prompting him to pout in disappointment. I reached up and grabbed his hand, pulling him closer and lacing my fingers with his. I lifted his hand and kissed his palm while Kelcey ruffled his hair in an attempt to make it look either more messy or less slept-in. Either way he failed, only succeeding in making Verne's hair more obviously in need of a shower.

"If we go take a shower, we can go explore a space station that the others found," I told him, smiling when he let go of Kelcey to wrap around me like a koala. His legs were long enough that he was sitting cross-legged with me between his legs, his arms low on my waist. He pressed his face into my neck and I laughed at the betrayed look on Kelcey's face.

"Kelc alre'y showered. 'is hair smelled too… too clean. He's banned fro' _ahhhh_ from showerin' wi' us for now. Le's go," Verne muttered, speech only slightly slurred from sleep by now; most of the words were warped because he spoke into my neck, his lips dragging with every word. It made me shiver, but I laughed at both his declaration and the resignation obvious in Kelcey's eyes. Verne lifted his head and stared at the wall for a few seconds before turning his head to look at Kelcey. He huffed out a short laugh and leaned over to kiss Kelcey, whispering an apology. Kelcey brushed it off and told us to get going.

I stood up after Verne tightened his grip around me, putting my hands under his thighs. I knew that Kelcey would bring us clothes while we showered, since it was something we all did for each other. It was a way to gift new clothes or tell each other what we thought one of the other two would look good in if it wasn't an outfit we'd worn before. Sometimes someone felt more clingy than usual and wasn't comfortable with voicing it, so he'd sit out of showers and two of his hoodies or sweaters would be included in the piles of clothing.

We passed Aeron and Beau on the way to the showers, the two of them sitting together while they watched an ancient show about painting. I would've stopped and watched the long-dead man paint on most days, but I was too excited to see the space station to consider a delay in getting ready. I saw Verne wave at them from the corner of my eye and I smiled at their grins and returned waves. Everyone was used to the three of us doing stuff like this, more open now that Kelcey had let go of his pride and Verne his self-judgement.

The showers had been communal at one point, but Hanraoi had long-since altered them so that there were fewer showerheads separated by metal walls. He had also tiled the showers and the bathrooms in blue and grey, making it seem less factory-made. Where there had been twelve showerheads, there were now six, and each wall was placed over the removed bits of plumbing. I walked to the third down the row and gently set Verne on the bench resting inside the entrance to the shower stall. There were doors at the end of each, a bench just beyond them and a shower curtain used to separate the showering area from the dressing area. The curtains were all weird and different, the one in the third patterned with Old Earth animals.

We stripped and turned on the water, waiting for it to warm before stepping under the relaxing spray. I knew that Verne took cold showers on his own, but they were always warm with me, because I loved taking warm showers and getting all nice and toasty. I let my hair get drenched before reaching for the shampoo. Verne took it from my hands with a soft smile and put some in his hands, beginning to rub it into my hair for me. I sighed and relaxed against his chest, humming a quiet song into the otherwise-silent bathroom. He hummed along with me once he picked up my song and continued to run his hands through my hair. When he was done, he tapped my shoulder and smiled at me when I turned around. I grabbed the shampoo and rubbed it into his hair for him, smiling at the soft expression on his face. He was still a little sleepy, something I could see in the way his eyes were drooping like he wanted to fall asleep again. I started singing words, knowing that it would help keep him more awake. He swayed and hummed with me, a smile on his face the whole time. We rinsed out our hair and repeated the process with conditioner, using the body wash to clean ourselves and helping each other with our backs. He ran gentle fingers along the lines of my face for a few moments before kissing me sweetly and reaching around me to turn off the water.

When I opened the curtain, I saw two blue towels resting on top of two sets of clothing. I handed one to Verne and used the other to dry myself off. When I glanced at Verne, he was moving very slowly, and I smiled at the knowledge that he was doing it on purpose to get me to think he was too tired to do it on his own. I wrapped the towel around my waist and left my hair dripping, walking over to him and taking his towel from him. He pouted at me for a second before the expression turned into a smile, and he let me dry him off and ruffle his hair with the towel. He took mine and did the same with my hair, and we smiled at each other before beginning to get dressed. It seemed like Kelcey was feeling clingy today, because at the bottom of the stacks of clothing were two of his hoodies, one pastel pink and the other pastel purple. The combination of the purple hoodie and the leather pants Kelcey had left for me would look odd, but I didn't really care. He'd left a dark silk button-up as well, and I did the buttons on the cuffs before pulling the hoodie over my head. Verne was wearing white jeans and a light blue button-up under the pink hoodie, and all the light colors made a nice contrast with his dark hair. I caught his hand before he opened the door, and smiled when he looked back at me.

"You look cute," I told him quietly. He smiled and nodded before turning again and opening the door. We grabbed the damp towels and threw them into the clothing bin on the way out. When we walked into the bridge, everyone was staring out the big window. Verne smiled widely and threw an arm around my waist.

"Arrian said I looked cute," he announced proudly. Kelcey and I always made sure to tell Verne how we thought he looked so he could tell everyone else, since he never had his own opinions about himself. He'd said it was because his parents told him he shouldn't judge himself because he'd always come up lacking, but I knew it was because he couldn't judge himself at all. He'd given up the ability in a rift no one other than me remembered. Kelcey turned and smiled when he saw us, standing up to come hug us. When he pulled back, he grabbed our hands and led us over to the window, gesturing to the big metal structure we were approaching.

"That's the space station. We're pretty sure it won't be dangerous, but we'll take some weapons just in case. It's newer than most we've read about, but it's still old enough to be considered as being from the first push of ancient exploration. We'll be close enough to use the travel pod to board it soon," Kelcey told us quietly, almost as if he were scared to break the excitement of the moment.

"I'll be bringing a med-pack too," Norae said, gesturing to the satchel on the floor by their feet. We nodded and continued watching out the thick glass as the wrecked station came nearer. I could see areas of blackened metal, places that had been burned, and large holes in the thick sheets, areas that had been shot at. There was a large opening, like a massive garage door, leading into pure blackness. Kelcey turned on the ship's external lights and shone them into the dark opening. More damaged metal was exposed by the light. We drifted closer for a few more seconds before Kelcey stopped the ship and grabbed my hand and Verne's, leading us out of the bridge. Everyone else followed along, and he took us to the docking bay, where three travel pods sat waiting. I'd never really been down here, nor had I ever worn a space suit, and it took a few minutes and Kelcey's help to put on the semi-loose suit. I supposed that the tight pants made sense now, considering it would've been a more difficult fit with looser pants, though we had to tuck the edges of Kelcey's hoodies into our pantlines. I put my hair half-up in a loose bun to avoid the longest of my hair and let Kelcey put the helmet over my head.

I stared at him through the clear glass and smiled, yelping in surprise when a screen came to life right in front of my eyes. It had a lot of different words displayed, like _Oxygen Level 100%_ and _Suit Condition: Perfect_. I blinked and it turned off, showing Kelcey getting dressed in his own suit. Soon, everyone was suited up and climbing into two separate pods, five of us in one and five in the other. Aeron and Beaumont joined Kelcey, Verne, and I in the first. Kelcey tapped a few buttons and the door closed, and a moment later the engine started up. After a second a window opened, and we were flying among the stars again. The little pod turned towards the old station and we were entering the illuminated opening after a few minutes. All was quiet in the pod, anticipation thickening the air. Everyone checked their oxygen at Kelcey's direction, and then he opened the door and we all climbed out.

It was like a completely different world. It was clear even from the way the space station had been constructed that it was very old, much older than anything I'd ever seen before. There was no dust whirling through the absence of air, seeing as we were in open space and there was nothing out here to generate dust, but the shadows cast by the lights of our ship stretched far ahead, bleeding into the darkness further in. Kelcey explained how to turn on the little flashlights attached to our helmets and took the lead once there were ten new rays of light illuminating farther into the old space station.

As we walked, I kept looking around me, taking in everything I could see. I stopped in doorways and peeked into empty rooms, their contents in general disarray and looking like they'd been there for longer than time itself. When I accidentally brushed against a panel that was hanging down against the wall, the wires that made it run being the only things keeping it attached to the wall, there was a high-pitched, distorted beep, and the mostly closed door screeched its way open. I didn't really bother checking to see whether the others had heard, considering the noises of the door opening had been loud and obvious, and I assumed that they'd have heard it immediately. I walked into the room beyond the now-gaping doorway and saw that it was some kind of closet. I looked at the boxes on the shelves and started rifling through a few of them, trying my best not to mess up anything by being too rough.

In one box, I found a rectangular device. It was made of plastic, and the hinge creaked when I opened it. There was a plus-shaped button on the left side, the white lines at the ends mostly faded, and there were little circular buttons on the other side, placed in a plus shape. The four buttons had faded letters on them, though I could only read the capital 'A'. When I pressed down on the plus and the circular buttons, they clicked and resisted, like they hadn't been touched in a long time. It had probably been ages. I tapped on the screens, the dark one on the upper half and the lighter one on the bottom half, and my gloves made dull tapping noises against the plastic screens. I noticed that the bottom screen was scratched up in the center, and I wondered what had caused it. I closed the device again and noticed that on the lower half, the thicker part, there were two holes on the top and bottom, and the top part had the raised outlines of two shapes on them, nearly squares. When I looked in the box again, I found a rectangular container with a bunch of small cartridges in it, which looked like they'd fit in the smaller slot on top of the back. I put the device in the container and secured it shut, sliding it into a pocket on the suit and zipping the pocket shut again.

On the way out of the room, I realized that none of the others had come inside. I looked back and forth in the hall, and I couldn't see anyone. I pulled back inside the room, suddenly scared, and tripped backwards over something. Landing on the ground reminded me briefly of my first experience with the crew of the spaceship I now lived on, but this time there wasn't any pain from injuries reopening. I sat up and looked towards my feet, and saw that I'd tripped over a loose panel in the floor. I moved onto my knees and scooted closer to it, hooking the ends of my gloved fingers under it and pulling up. When I had it moved aside, I saw a vertical tunnel and a ladder leading down into something else. I bit my lip, and wondered what I should do.

A few minutes later, I was descending into another tunnel, assured that the others would find me later when they found the sign I'd put on the floor. I'd taken pieces of paper and tape I found in other boxes and made an arrow pointing towards the room -and the tunnel- I'd entered. I didn't look around until I had both feet firmly on the ground beneath the ladder. The metal creaked as I let my hands fall from the rungs of the old structure, and I looked around to see that I was at the end of a tunnel. I turned around, and I was greeted by more darkness beyond the light from my headlamp. I took a few steps forward, cautious and nervous at first, slowly growing more confident as I walked. Nothing jumped towards me as I walked, and the only noises I heard were the creaking of the old metal and the sounds of my own breathing, my own heart beating. I noticed that there were areas in the wall that seemed to be a docking of some sort, though they were empty. I wondered what had once belonged in the recesses, and where they were now.

I thought the whirring that started up on the edge of my hearing was just a product of my mind, something made up to fill the near-complete silence. When it grew louder, and I heard creaking beyond my own, I stopped in my tracks. My heart began to beat faster, and my breathing sped up; the display in the lower corners of my helmet told me so, as if I couldn't feel it on my own. A proximity sensor went off on my suit, and I whirled around. Before I could really think, I heard ripping, and I felt intense cold against the fingers of my left hand. I stared down at my hand numbly, barely registering the ripped fabric of my suit, before looking up and seeing something being consumed by warbling, constantly warping purple energy. I clasped the breaches in my glove in my other hand, and I registered that I couldn't really feel my left hand anymore. I fell to my knees and tried to follow the instructions being given to me via helmet, but nothing was working. My vision grew spotty and dark, and the last thing I saw before I collapsed to the ground -effectively trapping my damaged glove under the rest of my body- was the same dusky, purple energy attacking more things.

When the other members of the crew realized that Arrian was no longer with them, they panicked. The group of nine retraced their steps and found the paper arrow approximately an hour after he'd begun to lose the rest of the group. The first thing they noticed in the room was the dark square on the floor, the opening to the tunnel he'd gone through. Kelcey, thinking less with his mind and more with his panic, descended the ladder, followed closely by Verne. The rest of the crew followed as quickly as they could, though the ladder slowed progress significantly. Kelcey and Verne raced ahead, frantic to find the missing member of their small trio. Their first thought was that the body in white on the floor of the disused maintenance tunnel was an old corpse, but upon looking closer, they saw that the slowly icing-over face was, in fact, Arrian's. There was a crack in his helmet, and when they lifted him, they saw that the glove over his left hand was ripped. The purple bracelet he wore was still around his wrist, though his fingers were much too dark; he was very quickly getting frostbite. Verne carefully covered the broken area with his hands, and the two men started the process of taking Arrian back to the small pods they'd used to enter the ship. The last thing they glimpsed from the tunnel was a large puddle of smooth, solid metal that had a purplish sheen to it in the light of their headlamps.

Later on, when they have him back on the ship, firmly settled in the infirmary with a bandage wrapped around his hand, they ask him what happened. He shows them the old device he found with a joyful smile, and Aeron puts it on his side table for him while Kelcey, Lucius, and Cimeilliauc continue to ask him what happened. He tells them about peeking into rooms and accidentally opening the room, saying that he'd gone in alone because the door's opening had caused a lot of noise and that he'd assumed they'd have heard. He searched the boxes in the room and found both the device and the opening into the tunnel; his excited smile began to falter. He mentioned the empty alcoves in the wall, and told them about the whirring and the proximity alarm. When he said his glove had ripped, he looked down at his bandaged hand and began to panic.

The three men explained that he'd gotten severe frostbite and would need his hand amputated, but they were waiting until they got to a reliable hospital so it could be done properly. Hanraoi had already promised that he'd make a new hand for Arrian, and the three men talking to him told him of that promise. It calmed him down marginally, and he told them that he hadn't been able to see what set off the alarm. Whatever it was had been consumed in an odd purple energy. He looked at the purple metal around his wrist and his lips twisted, caught somewhere between a grimace and a grin.

Eventually, the ex-Angelic grew tired and the three men left. He stared at the ceiling and contemplated his first and last visit to a first-era space station until he fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @ alexis thank you for the date thing and also the oddities shop lady is the nurse she just still doesn't have a name so
> 
> STACKHELMMMMMMMM
> 
> And metal. Hand. Yeet. 
> 
> Also alexis kelcey's hoodie during the date is like the top one I got u
> 
> Verne is such a cutie I cjjcjc

It was nearly a year after my first experience with a space station that we were in the right area to visit Stackhelm.

The space hub was clearly massive, considering it looked the same size as the planet slowly inching towards it; the planet in question was tens of thousands of miles away from both our ship and the trading hub, and the planet wasn't exactly a small one according to Beaumont. As we drew closer, Kelcey quietly told me that it was not so much a repurposed space station as it was a collection of old space stations strapped and welded together, later built upon and expanded to form Stackhelm, a kind of city that doubled as a center for intergalactic trade. The people of Stackhelm were generally kind, though overly cautious of some at first, and it was almost guaranteed that you would be safe there, no matter what crimes you committed.

From far away, it looked like little more than a grey-white blur, possibly a distant moon of some planet. The closer you got, however, the more color you began to see. I could see individual houses beginning to emerge, the colors mainly darker, offset by the tiniest little blurs of bright color, which I assumed were decorations of some sort. When I asked how they were able to live outside the metal barrier of the space station, Kelcey explained that there was an artificial field in place that simulated an atmosphere and allowed them to breathe and walk around, right next to the fathomless depths of space beyond them. Aircraft of any kind was permitted, and you had to have special permission to use a spacecraft. There was a large gate that began to slide open as we drew nearer, and I saw other ships parked inside. A voice crackled to life from the control system in front of Kelcey, and his attention was pulled away from me.

 _Stackhelm to FA-113. What is the purpose of this visit?_ I pouted at the loss of attention, the expression quickly melting away when Verne pulled me into his lap from the chair he sat in behind Kelcey, slightly to the left of the Captain's chair. He laced his fingers with mine, and again I missed the sensation of his fingers against mine in my left hand, long-since replaced with metal rods and wires.

 _FA-113 to Stackhelm. We've got some artifacts to donate to the museum, and we have a device we'd like to investigate,_ he told the vaguely feminine voice over the intercom. I smiled at the thought of getting the small, black plastic device running again. Verne and Hanraoi had said it was likely a gaming system, and I was excited to see what we could do with it.

 _Please proceed to lot F-130 and wait to depart the ship. A Stackhelm representative will stop by shortly to issue your passes. After you receive your passes, you are free to visit Stackhelm at your leisure. Please note that you will be expected to leave in three days unless you request an extension for your visit,_ the woman said, boredom coming through her attempt at a chipper tone of voice. Kelcey followed her directions and landed expertly in a large white box labeled with _F-130_ in thick, black strokes. The others got to work moving things around in the loading dock and making sure everything was in order while I grabbed the hard, silver case that contained my strange little device. I noticed that my metallic thumb was getting stuck again, and made a mental note to tell Hanraoi. Maybe he could buy more parts while we were here, considering he always complained about not having the right materials for such an intricate machine. Kelcey was handing out lanyards when I returned to the loading dock, and I let him put mine on me. He pressed a quick kiss to my lips before doing the same to Verne and slipping a lanyard over his head as well. I always thought it cute how he had to raise himself up on his toes a little to kiss Verne.

The loading dock opened once Kelcey had checked that everything was in order. He grabbed my hand and led me down the ramp, waiting at the bottom for the rest of the crew; his excitement was palpable in the way he bounced on the heels of his feet. We began to separate, and I let go of Kelcey's hand after explaining my thumb and went with Hanraoi. He hadn't looked very pleased when I walked away, but I promised I'd make it up to him with another drawing. I'd discovered that I liked drawing.

"How come you aren't going with Kelcey or Verne," Hanraoi asked me. I raised my left hand, and he grimaced. "Getting stuck again?" I nodded and he sighed. "It's probably something wrong with my original design. I was kind of already planning to rebuild it, I was just waiting until we made it back to this place. They have all sorts of stuff, and honestly, I could probably wire the new one with sensors so you can feel with it. It's more of a detriment the way it is right now, if I'm being honest, and I only ever meant for it to be a temporary solution, we just got distracted by so many things, and…" he trailed off, staring off into space. I kept walking forward just so he wouldn't stop moving, and eventually he blinked and shook his head.

"Got everything figured out now," I asked quietly, curious, as always, about what he did when he thought like that. He nodded and tapped his throat, something that had become the siblings' signal for one of the others having the right to speak at the moment. I nodded and lifted the device's case, letting him see the shiny silver before speaking again.

"Kelcey said I might be able to find more cartridges for it, or someone who could figure out how to work it. I guess finding someone to get it running is more important than getting more stuff to put in it. But, if we can't get it running, maybe we could sell it. It's pretty old, so it's gotta be worth something, right," I said, turning towards him now that he'd stopped. He nodded and then shrugged. He was trying to talk to the woman at the stall in front of him, but one of the other two must've been talking. He turned to me, frustrated, and I nodded. I walked up next to him and smiled at the woman. I lightly ruffled his brown hair, and he let out a quiet huff. I laughed softly and turned my attention back to the woman. She was staring at me, a somewhat odd look on her face. I shuffled my feet and cleared my throat.

"My friend would like to sell you some of the things he's got. He can't speak currently, so I'll do my best for him," I told the woman. She smiled widely and nodded, leaning forward and resting partially on her arms after she crossed them. Hanraoi moved around his cart and grabbed a few pieces. Thankfully I recognized them as old gears. "We noticed that you seemed to like old or used items in your projects," I said to the woman, prompting both she and Hanraoi to glance at a few of the items she had on display. I continued speaking as she bit her lip and blushed a bit, "and thought maybe you'd like these. They're some worn out gears; not suitable for our uses anymore, but I bet you'd be able to put them to beautiful use!" She was silent for a moment, her gaze flickering between me and the gears Hanraoi held. His face was blank, but I could see a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"So, how much were you thinking," she asked after her contemplation. I glanced at Hanraoi, and saw him biting his lip. He tapped a large one and flashed a five at me, and then tapped one of the smaller ones and flashed a two. I mouthed fifty at him, and he nodded.

"Fifty apiece for the large ones and twenty apiece for the smaller ones," I told the woman. She frowned and walked around the counter, stopping in front of Hanraoi. I looked between them, and saw Hanraoi seeming to panic. I figured I must have done something wrong.

"Could I see one," she asked Hanraoi. He cautiously handed one over, and she took her time in examining it. She glanced between us, and her gaze rested somewhere around my chest. I looked down and saw that the purple metal, usually a bracelet, had morphed into a chain of interlocked purple gears. They rotated minutely, turning the gears next to them easily. She nodded towards the necklace, and asked, "Where'd you get that? How's it do that?"

"I'm pretty sure it's some kind of magnetic thing. It was a gift from my love," I said, the lie coming easily. She nodded. "D'you think I could do something like that with these," she asked, turning towards me and gesturing to the worn gear in her hand. I shook my head and smiled at her, saying, "No. I think you could do something better. If you set them in the right places, you could probably make some kind of moving sculpture. I mean, that's the sort of thing I've always found really cool."

A few minutes later, Hanraoi was down all his gears and up over 500 credits. I hummed as I followed him, and he suddenly broke out laughing. I stared at him in confusion until he started speaking, struggling to calm down enough for his words to be comprehensible around his laughter.

"I can't believe you sold her those nasty gears for so much money, oh my god, I meant fifty for _all_ the larger ones and twenty for all the smaller ones. You're way too good at this, Arrian, I don't- the things people do to get attention, wow, just- wow," he said, voice bright with amusement and disbelief.

"I thought- if it was really expensive, why'd she pay it," I asked him, more confused by his words than amused like he was.

"Arrian, that woman thought you were hot. She was probably hoping you'd stick around if she bought all that stuff, no matter how ridiculously priced it was. Plus, you kept telling her all kinds of stuff about, pretty much, how cool you thought her stuff was and how talented she was. You probably could've gotten three times what you did out of her, to be honest," Hanraoi said. His eyes were alight with amusement, and I blushed brightly.

"Oh. I didn't realize. I mean, my parents did stuff like that when they had to sell old junk. I thought-"

"Hey, it's cool. Keep doing it, if you want. We'll see about the rest of this quickly. Norae was just buying medical supplies and they're already done, and Cain's found all the ammunition he was looking for. I'll keep an eye out for more parts for your hand and then we'll check out your little box," he told me. I nodded and followed him around once he was moving again, paying more attention to our surroundings than I was to him. He quickly got rid of the rest of the things in the cart, and I'd occasionally wander closer and throw out smiles and compliments, and he'd inevitably leave with more money than he wanted out of the experience. He stopped for a long time at a shop that sold parts meant to be used to build robots. He left with his purchases neatly lined up and safely packed up inside a black metal box.

"Do you wanna try to sell that, or were you hoping to get it fixed," he asked, focused on the silver box. I shrugged.

"I mean, I wanted to fix it at first, but I don't know. Maybe I could sell it and get more puzzles," I suggested. Hanraoi smiled and nodded.

"Come on then. We can go see the owner of the oddities shop. It's on the way back to the ship anyways," he told me. I nodded and walked along behind him, making sure to keep him in view as I continued to take in the market-city around me. I wondered what it'd be like to live here, to live in a home of my own. I spoke before I could stop myself.

"Do you guys ever think of… stopping? Moving somewhere and calming down, just living," I asked him. He stopped for a second before beginning to move forward again. He shook his head.

"No one had ever mentioned the idea before. I'm not sure that I would want to. I like things the way they are. It's hard for me to imagine anything else, anymore. I think I'm too used to living like this," he told me, head turned slightly so he could speak to me over his shoulder. I nodded.

"That makes sense. I was just curious," I told him. He hesitated for a moment before stopping outside a store. I figured, from all the odd things in the windows, that it was the store we were looking for.

"Do you want to leave? I'm sure we could find you a nice place to live somewhere, and we could-"

"No, I don't- sometime in the future, maybe, when we all get old. I don't want to go somewhere without you guys, though. You're my family. I wouldn't want to live without you guys with me," I told him. He bit his lip and nodded, and then pushed the cart inside the store. A bell rang, and it was like stepping into an entirely different world. The shop gave off a feeling of warmth and comfort, and the ceiling stretched high over my head. The shelves stretched within a few meters of the ceiling, and they were filled with odd little objects. There were a few things that were nearly knocking against the ceiling, even when they were resting on the floor, though I couldn't tell what they were.

"Ah, hello," a feminine voice called out, soft and welcoming. I smiled and waved at the young woman when I saw her. She stared at my hand for a few moments when we came closer, and she smiled nicely at Hanraoi as well before her gaze settled on the silver box in my grasp. She gasped and covered her mouth.

"Uhm, hi. I was wondering if you wanted to, uh, buy this maybe? I'm not sure what exactly it is, but I think it's some kind of game system. I _do_ know that it's really old, though," I told the young woman. I opened it and showed her and she immediately nodded.

"Oh my god, yes, of course I'll buy it! You've even got games for it, wow! How'd you even get this thing? Most of them are in museums by now…"

"I found it in a really old box in a random closet. I thought it looked cool so I kept it. I was just gonna have it fixed and keep it, but… I don't really want it now, so I figured I might as well sell it and buy some puzzles or something," I told the woman behind the counter. She giggled and nodded.

"I mean it's worth a lot more than I have to pay you, but you can go through the store and take pretty much whatever you want. If you need help moving anything, I'll get someone to come help you," she told me. I nodded and started walking through the store. I grabbed pretty much every puzzle she had, and browsed the clothing racks she had until I found a lot of sweaters and hoodies marked 'vintage'. I just grabbed whichever ones had patterns that caught my eye, and when Hanraoi told me he could rig the cd player to work, I grabbed it and a bunch of the albums she had. I didn't care what language they were in, it was really just so we'd have more background noise when we did things. Plus, we all enjoyed hearing new kinds of music. The cart was nearly full of stuff by the time we started making our way back to the front desk, but I stopped and grabbed a soft, wolf-shaped plushie I saw on the way, cheerfully plopping it into the cart.

"Thanks for all this stuff," I told the woman at the counter as I handed her the silver container, now closed again.

"It's my pleasure. Thanks for not clearing me out of my store--you totally could've if you wanted to." I shrugged.

"I just grabbed what I thought looked cool," I told her. She waved goodbye to us as we exited, and I waved back happily. Hanraoi laughed when he saw the stuffed wolf.

"That's for Verne, isn't it," he asked.

"Can I help it if wolves remind me of him," I asked exasperatedly, throwing my hands into the air. He shook his head and smiled, not saying anything else until we were on the ship.

"You can go give that to Verne if you want. I'll take the rest of this to your room for you," he told me. I nodded and grabbed the wolf plushie, hugging it close to my chest and setting out to find Verne. I found him sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels. I knew that, by looking at the time, he was looking for a grainy, black and white rerun of a show from Old Earth. It was one of his favorites, one he'd grown up watching, about a talking horse, named Mr. Ed, and the man, named Wilbur, who owned him. He made a small noise of satisfaction as the commercial ended and the beginning theme rolled through. I smiled and sang the words along with him and the program, startling him.

_A horse is a horse, of course, of course, and no one talks to a horse, of course! That is, of course, unless that horse is the amazing Mr. Ed!_

Verne's eyes stayed glued to the large screen stretched in front of him, but he reached out a hand towards me. I smiled and walked closer, taking his hand in mine and walking over to sit next to him. I watched the show with him, curled up into his side with his arm around my waist and his hand warm in mine, until the first commercial break. Then, when the black and white show switched to bright colors advertising modern day merchandise, he turned to look at me and ruffled the short, faux fur on the stuffed wolf.

"What's this, angel," he asked, voice quiet and warm. I smiled and handed it to him.

"I got it for you while I was out. Han and I passed an oddities shop and I got a bunch of stuff," I told him. He smiled down at the toy and raised it to his face, pressing a short kiss to it's forehead.

"I dub thee Wolfy," he exclaimed, expression completely serious for a moment before he crumpled forward with bright laughter lighting up his face. I smiled and laughed with him until the show came back on and he quieted almost instantly. I smiled at the way he pulled 'Wolfy' close to his chest as he watched the talking horse on the screen, a small smile on his lips that hadn't been there before. I pressed a soft kiss to his temple and stood up, stretching as Verne whined. I shushed him and patted his shoulder, rubbing a thumb softly over his collarbone before giving him another kiss, this one on his temple, and leaving him to watch Mr. Ed in peace. I went to my room and organized all the random stuff I'd gotten today, setting the puzzle boxes with all the others, piled up in the corner, and took the hoodies and sweaters to be washed. I made sure to put an _A_ on the tag, labeling it mine. We used our initials to mark our clothes, so they wouldn't get mixed up.

When I went back to my room, intending to organize all the cds into the communal music box, Kelcey was sitting on my bed. He was on the very edge, arms holding to the edges and bunching up his shoulders around his ears--I realized after a moment that his head was ducked down. His legs were crossed at the ankles, swinging back and forth slightly. When the door opened, the near-silent slide audible in the silence, he lifted his head, and I saw that he was biting his lip nervously. He dropped his arms off the edge of the bed and lifted his head higher, letting go of his lip as well.

"What's wrong, Kelc," I asked softly, walking quietly into the room and taking his hands in mine. He looked down at our hands and sighed. He shook his head.

"Nothing's wrong, I just… I miss you guys. I get busy a lot, and I feel like I'm drifting away. I wanna- could we go out tomorrow? I have an idea," he said to me. I let go of his hands and cupped his face, sighing softly at both the expression of hopelessness on his face and the inability to feel his skin under my fingers. Being forced to look at me gave him the opportunity to trace the scar on my face with his eyes. Norae had said that the frostbite scar would heal in a few years, but for now, as long as you knew what you were looking for, it was impossible to miss. It was most visible from the top of my right cheekbone down to my jawline, a jagged line of rougher, darker skin; to Kelcey and Verne, and the rest of the crew, a harsh reminder of what they considered their failure.

"I would love to do something with you, Kelcey Ambrose. Whatever you wanna do, we'll do it. Have you asked Verne yet," I asked him. He shook his head, placing his hand over my left one; I wouldn't have noticed at all if I hadn't seen him moving it. I frowned at the thought, but I shook it and my frown away quickly.

"I couldn't find him," Kelcey said quietly, sounding vaguely ashamed of his inability to find the taller man.

"Last I saw, he was watching Mr. Ed," I told Kelcey. His face immediately dropped and he looked away, over my shoulder.

"Maybe I should leave him alone, then. I know he loves that show, I don't wanna interrupt him," he said, sounding apprehensive and disappointed. I shook my head and tried to catch his eyes.

"Kelc, you know he'd hate that. He loves doing stuff with us, and you know how sad and pouty he gets when we leave him out. Yeah, he loves those silly old shows, but he'd rather do something with us and you know it," I told Kelcey. I could hear the scholding edge to my own voice, and Kelcey nodded, blushing heavily. He was fidgeting with his hands, so I caught them in mine and held them still. "Let's go find him and ask, okay? I'm sure he'll be so excited he won't be able to sleep." Kelcey looked worried at that, but he let me pull him to his feet anyways. I held his left hand in my right, simply because I would've been irritated that I couldn't feel him with my other hand.

When we arrived in the entertainment area, Verne was gone. I hummed and thought for a moment before pulling Kelcey to the showers. Only one was in use, but the only noise was the patter of water against the tiles. I let go of Kelcey's hand and opened the door at the end of the stall and saw that Verne's clothes were on the bench. I moved the shower curtain aside and, sure enough, found Verne. He was sleeping, standing upright half-under the water. He had his forehead leaned against the tiled, metal wall, his eyes shut and his breath coming and going easily. His long eyelashes rested gently against his skin, a comforting, familiar contrast. I gently tapped his cheek, smiling when he started laughing. He opened his eyes and yawned, nearly missing me as he stretched. He glanced around and frowned, until he saw me and broke out into a sleepy smile.

"Wha're you doin' 'ere," he asked, voice slurred by sleep. I smiled and ruffled his hair, hooking my thumb behind me.

"Kelc was looking for you. He wanted to ask you a question," I told him. He looked over my shoulder and smiled even wider when he saw Kelcey. He waved enthusiastically, and I smiled when I saw Kelcey wave back and move into the dressing area, closing the door behind him.

"I- I feel like I'm drifting away from you two since I get busy so often, so I thought, maybe we could do something tomorrow. Like a picnic, kinda. I- I want it to be a surprise, but I just- I wanted to ask you two to go out with me. I thought a date could be fun, since we don't really get to go out very often. I mean, I understand if you don't want to, I just wanted to try while we were in a safe place," he said cautiously. I smiled at him, and my smile grew when I saw the excitement on Verne's face. Sometimes I wondered if he had canine DNA in him somewhere. Kelcey glanced up, and it seemed he couldn't help but smile when he saw Verne. He sighed and looked away, still smiling. "So, is that a yes?" I let out a short bout of laughter and nodded.

"Considering Verne is practically vibrating in place, I'd say he wants to go," I said, the amusement easily bleeding through my voice. Verne nodded enthusiastically, and then reached his hands out, opening and closing his hands and whining softly. Kelcey smiled and put his hands on the hem of his shirt.

"I guess I'll have to make sure you actually stay awake long enough to finish your shower, huh," Kelcey asked. Verne crossed his arms and pouted.

"Well, maybe. I don't know," he huffed. We both laughed, and I walked over to the door. Verne pouted even more, but I just shook my head.

"Another day, pup. You know showers with all of us don't work very well. Besides, I'll bring you guys some clothes to wear. I noticed that you conveniently forgot to bring dry clothes with you," I said, raising a brow at him. He blushed and bit his lip, looking away. His gaze landed on Kelcey's face, and he burst out laughing. I left the shower stall and shut the door, staying for a moment to listen to their joyous laughter and giggles before walking away. I went back to drop off some dry clothes for them, both sets from Verne's closet, and smiled when I heard them singing a quiet song. It was one of the only ways to keep Verne awake through a whole shower: something about the water soothed him into unconsciousness, even when it was freezing cold. I went back to my room and organized the new cds into the box of harddrives and other forms of music containers, and sat heavily on my bed. I stayed there for a moment before reaching down to my side table and pulling out clean pajamas. I changed into them quickly and threw my dirty clothes somewhere near the hamper by the door. I fell asleep quickly.

Kelcey had hold of one hand each, and I'd smiled at the consideration he'd taken in grabbing the hand that wasn't made of metal. Verne walked along, clearly excited in the way he was smiling so hard his eyes nearly shut. Kelcey hadn't told us where we were going, only that it would be a lot of fun and that we should take some snacks to the pod labeled 3FA. We'd done that about an hour ago, and he'd let us go to get dressed afterwards.

Apparently, when you went on a date, you didn't dress each other. At least, not for your first date. It was supposed to be a surprise, so I was left on my own to rifle through my clothes nervously. I decided on pants easily -a pair of jeans that were on the tighter side but not by much, ripped along the thighs and knees- but it was harder to find a shirt I wanted to wear. Eventually, I remembered the clothes I'd bought yesterday, and I ran, topless, to the laundry room and shuffled through the warm clothing until I found a white one that had chubby little monsters on it. It had some strange word on it in a dynamic yellow font outlined with black, and I wriggled it over my head, basking in the warmth for a moment.

I went back to my room for shoes and ended up in black tennis shoes with yellow laces (which I'd switched out with the original ones so they would match the word on the hoodie). I looked down at my outfit for a moment before deciding that I liked the contrast of my black jeans against the white hoodie and that my shoelaces matching the hoodie's coloring was very cute. I walked to the bathroom and brushed my hair out of my face, pursing my lips for a moment before tying half my hair up high on the back of my head. I bit my lip and stared at my reflection in the mirror for a moment before shaking my head. I smiled at the few strands that had come loose as a result and brushed my teeth.

I went back to my room and sat on my bed. Kelcey had said he'd come by our rooms to pick us up, like on a real date. I fidgeted with my hands and my hair, twirling loose strands around my finger and trying to ignore my leg shaking. I wasn't sure I'd ever been this nervous before: at least, not for the same reasons. I'd never been on a date, not like Aeron and Beau had described when I asked them what it was like during breakfast. They said I could count hanging out with Kelcey and Verne as a date if I wanted to, and I did, but I also wanted to see what a real date was like.

There was a knock on my door, and I yelped as I was startled out of my thoughts. I heard a soft laugh from the other side of the door as I stood up, flexing my hands and frowning when my thumb stuck. I gently pushed it until it moved again, and then I went and opened my door. I took a moment to stare at Kelcey. He was wearing his favourite pair of pants, light grey capris that stretched easily over his legs, and one of my hoodies, the black one with the yellow flowers on it. I smiled at the fact that our hoodies matched, and when I looked up, I saw that he was stuck staring at my hair.

"You look really nice," I told him. He dropped his gaze and swallowed, beginning to blush. He nodded.

"Uh, thanks. I like your hair. You've never done it like that before. It looks great. Is that a new hoodie? I haven't seen it before," he said, smiling when his gaze dropped and he saw my shoes. I nodded.

"Yea. I got it yesterday. I got a bunch of others too, I just wanted to wash them first. And, thanks. I wasn't sure about it, but I think I like it," I said, smiling easily when he looked up. His eyes lit up as he grabbed my hand and kissed my knuckles. His breath tickled against my skin, and I stifled a laugh with my other hand. Even the cold metal couldn't put a damper on my happiness and excitement right now. He held my hand all the way to Verne's room, knocking with his free hand. The door opened immediately, and I had a feeling Verne had been standing on the other side of the door for a while.

His shirt was probably a size too small, judging from the way it stretched tight against his chest, but the red and white striped t-shirt looked nice either way. After a moment, I realized he must have taken inspiration from a child's book where you tried to find the little guy hidden among everyone else, because the only thing he was missing was a pair of round glasses. He even had on a white beanie with a red edge folded up, though it was missing the red ball at the top. Kelcey grabbed his hand and kissed his knuckles too, and Verne started giggling.

The walk to the pod was filled with excitement, most noticeably from Verne but also radiating off Kelcey and I. It kept a smile on my lips the entire time. Stepping into the pod was odd, because all the snacks had been organized along the seats near the door. I stared at them quizzically until Kelcey waved me onwards. Verne pulled me down into his lap and I went easily, resting my hands on his forearms after he wrapped them around my waist. Kelcey closed the door and typed something into the little pad near the now-shut opening. He walked over and sat across from us with a smile on his face. The small pod launched, and I watched as the window at the front slowly opened, revealing the expansive universe outside the pod. I relaxed even farther in Verne's hold as I stared outside. I wasn't sure I'd ever tire of seeing the stars.

We drifted for a while. Verne grabbed bags of mixed chips and opened all three, handing one to Kelcey and holding the other two in his hands. I ate as many of the dark, round chips as I could, cleaning both bags of them as we continued to fly farther from the ship. We were a decent distance away from the planets in the area, and they looked like marbles spilled onto a dark blanket. The twin suns orbiting each other far off shone in through the window brightly, bathing us in blue light.

Slowly, the pod came to a stop and something came out of the wall. I stared at it in shock and confusion until Kelcey cleared his throat. When Verne and I both looked at him, he was blushing and smiling at us softly. He gestured to the thing in the wall and bit his lip.

"I wasn't sure whether either of you had ever stargazed while looking through a telescope. We don't get much time to relax like this, and I thought that we could just… eat snacks and talk and look at the stars. It's been a while since I really saw them…" he trailed off, staring out the window. His gaze flicked back to us and he smiled. "Just don't look at the suns. This telescope isn't really equipped to allow that." I nodded and carefully climbed out of Verne's lap, pulling the telescope towards myself.

I didn't know what to expect when I looked through the metal tube, but what I saw exceeded my undefined expectations. It was a sudden explosion of color. I could see something like gossamer clouds surrounding bright centers, along with swirling masses of extreme light that were so far away it didn't hurt to look. As I watched, something flashed big and bright, lasting for a few moments before collapsing back down. I backed away from the telescope slowly and sank to the floor, mind reeling as I tried to comprehend it. Kelcey kneeled in front of me and wiped his thumbs over my cheeks. I blinked up at him, and then realized he was doing that because I was crying. He pressed soft, quick kisses on my cheeks and down my neck, and I started to giggle. Verne watched fondly from the seat, leaning forward with his arms on his knees. He reached a hand out and ran his long fingers through my hair. Kelcey sat back on his heels and smiled again. I was glad to see him smiling so frequently today.

"I cried the first time I looked at the stars too. They're the only reason I even ended up here anyways, so I guess I have the stars to thank for my angel and my puppy," Kelcey said quietly. He grabbed my hand and Verne's, and held onto them tightly. Verne joined us on the floor and we all moved in as close as possible, a tangle of arms and legs. "Thank you for coming with me. I missed you guys. Missed this a lot."

"Love you," Verne said quietly. Both of us heard him loud and clear anyways, because we were too close to each other to not hear. "Both of you. Love you lots." I pressed kisses to each of their cheeks, and we went back to sitting in silence, enjoying just sitting and feeling each other's presence.

Eventually, we finished our snacks and stared out at the stars some more. By the time we drifted back to Stackhelm and the ship, we were all nodding off and glad for the auto-pilot the pod had. We helped each other back to Kelcey's room and piled up on his bed, falling asleep completely content. I wasn't sure how real first dates were supposed to end, but I figured ours was a good way to do it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first verne sleepy talking is some of my favorite stuff to write  
> there's some cussing and mentions of blood/murder  
> ALSO REM BARBEAU MY BABIE

Dawnscape was supposedly one of the most famous space station cities along with Stackhelm. Dawnscape, however, was more entertainment driven than Stackhelm. Kelcey and Beau had told me that there were museums filled with art and artifacts, shopping malls twenty stories high and filled with all manner of new and strange things, zoos and aquariums with creatures mundane and exotic. I wanted to see it all, but despite wanting to see the animals first, Kelcey insisted we go to one of the malls first: he explained that many of them functioned as grocery stores and mechanical shops as well, and new clothes were always nice too. We'd be picking up more jobs too, because Dawnscape attracted a lot of people and the city, as a result, had a few large boards where people could leave job requests and bounties. So, it was with much pouting that I got dressed.

I'd become more confident in my time with the crew, and at some point it had become easy to dress in a way that would attract attention without getting embarrassed afterwards. I didn't really think about it much as I pulled on jean shorts that were frayed around the edges and ripped in a few places--they'd been jeans with rips in them before I cut off everything below mid-thigh. I pulled a loose white v-neck tee over my head. I pulled the bottom of it out and smiled down at the little cactuses and llamas on it. It was a few sizes too big and hung at about the same length as the shorts did, so I tucked it in at the front. A good portion of my chest was left exposed by the v of the too-big shirt, but I just smiled about the thought and left it be. Instead, I walked to the bathroom to brush my hair and teeth.

My hair was so long by now that it brushed my shoulders in long, unruly black waves and half-curls. I started at the bottom in an attempt to avoid tangles, and thankfully it worked today. I grabbed one of my hair ties--no one else's hair was long enough to warrant personal hair ties--and pulled my hair up into a ponytail. Sometimes I managed to get it all in the first try, but this time a few strands were left free of the ponytail. I reached back to fix it before catching sight of myself in the mirror and deciding it looked cute. I hummed as I brushed my teeth, bouncing around a little to the improvised beat. I spat the toothpaste foam into the skin and rinsed my mouth and the toothbrush. I considered doing makeup but quickly decided against it.

I walked back to my room and pulled on white socks and my purple and white sneakers. The strange purple metal had settled into a set of bracelets around my left wrist, and they jangled prettily when I shook my wrist. I smiled at them, but then frowned when I remembered the thought I'd had on the way back and realized that they were in the way. I was delighted when they shifted down and formed a set of anklets, one of the bracelets reforming into rings around my right thumb, pinky, and ring fingers. I sat down on the bed, next to my side table, and opened the top drawer. I shut it again after pulling out my set of colored pens. I set to work and twenty minutes later, there were little drawings on the topmost part of my pulse points: a small cactus and the word "LLAMA" on the left, and the word "CACTUS" followed by a little llama on the right. The cactus was colored in green and had a little face on it, the llama left as just the outline I'd drawn. I liked doing little drawings sometimes, like pretend tattoos.

"Arri, are you ready, Kelc keeps- aww, you look so cute," Verne exclaimed. He came to rest against my door frame as he smiled fondly at me. I blushed heavily and glanced away; that turned out to be a mistake when Verne practically tackled me into my bed. His hug was warm and I quickly began to feel smothered. Luckily, Verne knew that sometimes things like this got to be too much, and he stood up almost as fast as he'd hugged me. He was wearing jeans with a rip in the left knee, and I knew that hadn't been there when he first bought the pants unlike mine. His shirt was plain black, and it made me sad so I stood up and opened my closet. I pulled out one of my bigger hoodies, a black one with a little golden retriever printed on it. The dog had a bowl of dog food at its feet and a bone in its mouth. I smiled as I turned around and showed it to Verne. His eyes lit up and he nodded, reaching out for it and putting it on near as soon as he had both hands on it. He shoved his hands in his pockets and bit his lip as he looked at me. My smile grew wider and I nodded. When I walked over, I reached out a hand and ruffled his curly black hair.

"You look adorable," I told him. He blushed, and the blush only got worse when pressed kisses against his cheek, nose, and lips. He laced his hand with mine and started pulling me from the room. "Ah, wait- my wallet." He shook his head and continued pulling me out of the room.

"Kelc and I already agreed to pay for anything you wanna get-- and no, you can't complain. Just let us buy you stuff, just for today," he insisted. I sighed and pouted.

"But you guys always say it's just for one day and then keep doing it anyways," I reminded him. Verne hummed and nodded.

"True. But that's because you're too wonderful and magical to have to use your own money for anything. Save it for other things."

"If you just buy everything for me, then I don't have anything to use my money on by myself," I told him, my exasperation coming through in my tone clearly. Verne stopped and turned around, pouting with sadness in his eyes.

"Does it really bother you that much," he mumbled. I wanted to fidget with my hands, but he currently had one trapped in his hand so I couldn't do that. I shrugged and looked away.

"Kinda? I don't want you guys to waste all your money on me," I mumbled back. He sighed.

"Arri? Lookit me please," he asked, pleading in the way he spoke and the way he squeezed my hand gently. He looked on the verge of tears when I looked back up at him, and I quickly moved forward to wipe tears away should they fall. "It's only 'cause we luh you." His voice was wavering and his emotions were affecting his speech at this point. I melted when he said that and smiled softly. Verne smiled, too, as soon as he saw it, like it was a reflex at this point.

"Okay, then. You and Kelc can keep buying me stuff. I might complain from time to time, but if that's your reason it's easier to accept. Okay now? No tears," I asked quietly. Verne sniffled and nodded. "Okay… let's go join the others." Verne's eyes widened at my whispered suggestion and squeezed my hand again before pulling me down the hallway again.

"Ah- there they are!" I wasn't sure, but it sounded like Lucius who'd shouted our arrival. I blushed at the sudden attention and scratched the back of my neck.

"Sorry I took so long, I wanted to do some pictures and Verne and I ended up, uh… talking," I explained. I heard a few noncommital agreements as I showed the little pictures on my wrists. Kelcey walked over and looked at them, smiling and cooing softly.

"These are so cute. Verne, did you see his drawings? Look how cute they are. Our Arri is so talented, isn't he," Kelcey said. Verne nodded in eager agreement and looked at the drawings too, a smile making its way onto his lips as he took in the little drawings.

"Guys, are we gonna keep being gross and in love or are we gonna go do things that are _actually_ productive," Cain asked impatiently. Norae smacked him before speaking.

"Stop being salty and leave them alone. They're adorable," Norae said. The three siblings had gotten so good at passing voices that you almost wouldn't know they were unable to speak at the same time. Cain pouted and rubbed his arm.

"Arrian said I was adorable earlier," Verne exclaimed once his brain fully processed what Norae had said. Everyone laughed, and with that we left the ship and set foot on the metal ground that was Dawnscape.

The city was much like Stackhelm at first glance, but the more I looked the more I realized that this city looked more elegant than Stackhelm had. The last station-city I'd been on had obviously been amalgamated together from multiple smaller stations, but this place had a more refined, cohesive look to it. The lines were cleaner and the color scheme was full of matching, cool colors as opposed to the all-over-the-place style of Stackhelm. I wondered whether it was nighttime now or if they just left the stars on display everyday. They twinkled brightly overhead, and I remembered crying after looking at the stars through a telescope for the first time.

"You realize you don't have to draw on yourself all the time, right," someone asked suddenly. I jumped and put my hand over my pounding heart. Looking over revealed Aeron walking next to me; he must've sidled up to me at some point while I was staring at the architecture of Dawnscape. Verne on the other side of me peeked around me with interest. "You could actually get this stuff tattooed on you." Since leaving the rift, Aeron and Beaumont had stopped in tattoo shops nearly everytime we were in an area reputed to have a good one set up. His hair had long since grown out black and thick. It was shinier now that he didn't dye it. Beaumont only had a few tattoos, all of them consisting of our names in some way. He had Aeron's name tattooed on the underside of his right ring finger, and Lucius and Norae's names were tattooed inside two connecting halves of a heart that sat happily in his left palm. He'd kept Kelcey, Verne and I together as three bullets fired from a gun tattooed on his left forearm: one of our names was tattooed in each bullet. There was a little goat on his right wrist for Cimeilliauc, the brunet's name tattooed in a collar around the goat's neck. Mel had admitted to us that he'd had a pet goat as a kid. Cain and Hanraoi were tattooed around Norae's half of the heart in his palm. Aeron had far more tattoos than Beaumont did, though I didn't know the reason behind any of them except for maybe the sleeve of roses and thorns on his right arm. At one point or another, I'd spotted all our names among the tattoos.

"Uh, well. I mean these ones are just silly, they don't really mean anything," I said lamely. Aeron shrugged.

"Tattoos don't have to mean anything if you don't want them to. Besides, we're here for a few more days at least, so you can think it over if you do wanna get those tattooed on. I think they're really cute, actually." I looked back at my wrists, biting my lip as I thought it over.

"Maybe tomorrow," I murmured. Aeron nodded and responded with, "Before the aquarium would be easiest." I nodded before realizing I didn't know we were going to the aquarium tomorrow. My head snapped up at the same moment that Kelcey let out an aggravated groan, likely directed at Aeron for spoiling what was likely supposed to be a surprise.

* * *

  
Standing in front of the mall felt a lot more like standing in front of an office building or a factory, or perhaps an extremely modern-styled mansion--except mansions weren't this big. It blocked out a good portion of the sky overhead and spilled bright light into the street. The massive building provided so much light that the streetlamps in the immediate vicinity were turned off unlike the ones farther down the street. Everyone split up almost as soon as we entered the building, and I stuck with Verne because he had hold of my hand. Hanraoi had long since rebuilt my left hand, again, and now I could feel with it. It was clearly human-made and didn't feel things quite as well as my right hand, but I could feel the heat and press of Verne's hand in mine, and that was good enough for me. Kelcey and Verne always assured me that it didn't bother them and that the metal wasn't too cold, and anytime I insisted it must be cold they just insisted on holding my hand to warm it up. Sometimes, I complained about it being cold just so they'd hold my hand.

Verne, and by extension me since I'd come with him, had been put in charge of clothes shopping. Everyone had made a list of the things they needed more of and put approximate sizes, and since I was with him I could handle who wore what styles. He patted his pocket for the list and the packet of money he'd received to pay for the clothing: it was a contribution from everyone based on rough estimates of how much their clothes should cost. Verne grabbed one of the maps from a stand in front of the entrance and I took it from him, insisting he pay attention and focus on not getting robbed. I kept my fingers intertwined with his, smiling at the warmth in my chest as I led us around the mall to find clothes for everyone. I was surprised for a while that we didn't run into the others, but considering the sheer scale of the mall I realized it would've been more illogical for us to have crossed paths, especially with the mall sectioned off like it was.

The entire time, Verne insisted on carrying all the bags so I wouldn't have to. When the bags began to hinder his hands, I took the list and money from him and let him play butler; after all, I wasn't going to stop him if he wanted to do all the work. The shopping only took a couple of hours, so afterwards we went shopping for whatever we wanted. It was then that I started insisting I carry things too, and by then he had so many bags that it was really pointless for him to protest because we both knew he wouldn't be able to stop me from doing whatever I wanted. An hour or so past noon, I texted the others and let them know that we were going down to the second floor to eat sushi if anyone wanted to join us; as I expected, I got a text from Kelcey a few seconds later saying he was on the way down.

When we finally sat down, Verne sighed in relief. I figured it must feel good to be able to put all the bags down after carrying them for hours; my arms were tired and I'd only carried my bags for about an hour. Granted, I had significantly less than he did because he would only let me buy so many books before declaring that was enough for a while since he couldn't carry them. I set my bags down as well and left Verne at the table to guard our purchases while I went to order our sushi. Our table was close enough that he would probably be able to hear me, and he'd definitely be able to see me, so I wasn't too worried about strangers popping up to kidnap me. However, I probably should've worried about other customers.

"Hey, you look real nice," someone said. The voice was very close and I flinched away, backing up an inch before turning my head. The man was objectively handsome, but I rolled my eyes and turned away from him. "Aw, don't play like that. Come on cutie, what's your name?"

"None of your business," I threw over my shoulder. The line drew closer, and I stepped forward in an attempt to distance myself from the man.

"Playing hard to get, huh, cutie? Well, I'm-"

"About to have a broken neck if you don't back the fuck away, asshole." I shivered at the tone of Verne's voice just as much as at his words. It had been a long time since I'd heard him sound anything but sleepy and sweet, long enough that I'd forgotten that we first met him when he was a bouncer at a club. He'd relaxed, an incredible amount, out of his tense vigilance over everything, but it seemed he hadn't forgotten how to look like he was ready to kill. I wondered if this was how he looked when he caught criminals with the others, if this was how he looked when he dropped the bounties off on the doorsteps of their collectors. I didn't like it when he looked so careless of life. The other man raised his hands, and he left the line altogether when Verne growled at him. Sometimes, I really did wonder if Verne was part dog or wolf or something.

"Hey! Are you okay," a man behind the counter asked. Verne looked at me too, awaiting the answer with obvious concern. I sighed in relief and relaxed when I saw how much his face had softened, and I nodded.

"Yeah. I'm okay, thank you for your concern sir," I called back. He nodded and offered a free roll of sushi, but I declined and told him that it wasn't something he needed to do. I turned to look at Verne again and smiled softly at him. "Thanks, puppy." I pressed a short kiss to his lips and watched him walk back to our table with a bright blush on his cheeks. I was in front of the counter before I realized it, and when the man gave me two extra sushi rolls, I tipped him thirty dollars. I left before he could realize, and I called out a bright "You're welcome," when he asked me to come and take the tip back. He was too busy with customers to bring it back to me, so he ended up keeping the tip. Kelcey ate the two free rolls, one a California roll and the other a spicy, fried roll. Anger clouded his face when Verne told him about the guy who'd harrassed me, but I calmed him down quickly by telling him how the guy had left without so much as a peep. We spent the rest of the small meal laughing and smiling as we talked.

When we stood up to leave, Kelcey took bags from both of us. When he complained about the weight and asked what was in them, Verne and I responded "well we got a lot of clothes--" "--books." at the same time. Kelcey laughed and we made our way to the elevator. I asked Kelcey where his bags were, and he told me that he and Hanraoi had asked for all their purchases to be brought to the ship in the morning. I figured that grocery shopping had gone well, considering Aeron always knew exactly what and how much to buy: the food budget was always the best managed. Norae had no doubt bought more medical supplies--they tended to worry a lot, especially after the incident with my hand--despite our stocks being a bit above average right now.

The walk back to the ship was quiet, because Kelcey and Verne had finally started looking at the city around us like I had on the way to the mall. I knew that sorting everything out would be a mess later on, and it would likely take an hour or two to sort out the food alone: that would come first, of course, because food was always the more pressing concern amongst our crew. I figured the rest of the day would just be cuddling and watching the TV, though maybe someone would start a game of something to pass the time, and what a lovely existence the rest of the day would be.

* * *

  
The first thing I tried to do when I woke up was go to the bathroom. However, I was currently buried under Verne with Kelcey curled into my side. I groaned and Verne rolled off of me--right into the floor. I felt bad for taking advantage of the knowledge that Verne would get off if I sounded hurt, so I sat up and checked on Verne after giving Kelcey a stuffed animal to cuddle with. He was sitting upright and had his legs spread, his shoulders slumped and his hands pressed flat against the floor. He looked up at me and I saw his pout.

"Sorry… I forgot we were so close to the edge," I said quietly. His response was a quiet _humph!_ , and I smiled. "What do I have to do for forgiveness?" He considered it for a moment.

"We could all shower together? And we have to wear matching hoodies today," he demanded. I smiled and nodded.

"I was planning on doing those anyways. Hmm, what time is it…" I trailed off as I reached for the sheet of crystal that served as something like an Old Earth phone. A clock popped up on the screen, showing that it was a few minutes after 8 in the morning. There were multiple texts asking Kelcey and Verne to help move the new supplies around, and one from Norae that said they'd handled it and we should continue sleeping. "They already sorted out the stuff we bought yesterday, so now we just have to wake up Kelc. Can you handle that while I get clothes together?" Verne smiled and held my face gently in his hands. His smile faltered slightly and he searched my face for something. After a moment--

"Are you okay? After yesterday, I mean?" I nodded and bit my lip.

"It's been forever since I've seen you look like that. It was scary. I guess I've gotten so used to, well, to you being silly and sleepy and, just, so loving and sweet that, I guess I forgot you could be like that," I told him quietly. He sighed before gently directing me to look him in the eyes.

"That's good. I don't want to scare you, ever. I used to have to be on my guard all the time, and I rarely let myself be like I am now. It's hard to act tough all the time, and you have no idea how glad I am that I can just relax and be however I want to here. I'm glad that you forgot what I could be like; I don't want you to see me like that. I hate having to be like that--well, unless it's to protect you from creeps," he said. He was deadly serious, but I giggled quietly anyways.

"Thank you, always. I'm not scared of you, Verne, so don't worry about that. I love you," I whispered. He nodded and let me kiss him before he pulled back and helped me to my feet.

"I'll go get the shower started. Kelc has been watching us for the past minute, so I'm sure I'll be able to convince him to come along, right? Kelc? Ready to shower," Verne asked, turning to the brunet. I turned too, and smiled at the sight. Kelcey looked especially small with his head on his arms, peering down at us from the top of my bed. Kelcey nodded and sat up, stretching with a big yawn. Verne walked over and put his arm behind Kelcey's shoulder; when Kelc's waking mind caught up, he wrapped his arms around Verne's neck and let the taller man put his other arm under his knees. Verne turned before they walked out the open doorway and winked while Kelcey waved with a pretty smile on his face. I waved back and blew a kiss, which Kelcey caught and pressed to Verne's lips. They disappeared around the corner and I began to rummage around in my closet. I pulled out three hoodies with similar, cartoonish designs on them. They were black and the pictures were animal themed, a family of seals piling on top of each other, a few little sharks with big smiles, and a fat little whale. I hummed as I pulled black shirts out of our separate drawers in the dresser, and grabbed loose jeans for Verne, black skinny jeans for Kelcey, and stone-washed jeans with rips in them for myself. I wasn't sure what shoes they'd want to wear, so I just grabbed our fuzzy slippers for the time being.

The hallway was a little warmer than usual, something I figured was a result of being on an established settlement. We all liked wearing comfortable clothes, so we didn't really bother with the temperature inside the ship. I hummed as I walked, setting a quick pace. I could hear the running water, and I smiled when Kelcey and Verne's laughter reached my ears. They sounded bright and happy, just as they should. I opened the door at the end of the only closed stall and found them laughing together. Kelcey was on Verne's lap while Verne sat on one of the benches.

"Go ahead and get in, I'll join you after I set the clothes out, 'kay," I asked. They nodded and stripped quickly, setting their dirty clothes in piles on the bench they'd been using. I set up the folded clothes on the opposite bench, making sure that the piles of fresh clothes were in the corresponding places with the dirty clothes. I set the towels on top of the clean clothes and took my own pajamas off, setting them in the empty space on the other bench and carefully pulling the curtain aside to join the other two in the shower. Kelcey was already singing to Verne, who was having trouble staying awake. I giggled as I watched him jerk his head back up, having nodded off for a moment. I let Verne wash my hair because it helped keep him awake. I stared at my wrists as I considered what Aeron had said yesterday before making a decision and scrubbing the ink off my wrists. I would get tattoos today, but they'd be something different. It felt like today was going to be a memorable day, and I wanted something to commemorate it. I was sure it would be one of my best and favorite memories.

After my wrists were cleaned off, I washed the rest of my body and helped Kelcey with Verne, seeing as the tallest of us had finally managed to fall asleep again. He'd assured us once before that it wasn't some kind of sleeping disorder--he'd already gone that route--rather just a love for sleep and the soothing feeling he got from being in water. He woke up after the water was turned off, while Kelcey and I were working together to dry him off. He blinked and yawned, and he rubbed at his eyes before smiling sleepily at us.

"I missed the shower 'gain, did'n I," he asked. We nodded and an apologetic smile made its way onto his lips. We assured him it was fine and let him start getting dressed while we dried off. I usually let my hair airdry, but we had places to go today so I used one of the hairdryers in the bathroom. We could no longer remember which one belonged to who, and we didn't much care at this point. After half a minute of pleading, Kelcey and Verne let me blowdry their hair as well; I smiled as I ran my hands through their hair, enjoying the warmth and the fluffy curls. I grabbed a few hair ties and walked back to my room, wondering on the way what I should do with it. I put my shoes on first, trying to procrastinate long enough to get an idea. When Verne walked into the room, his heavy combat boots on his feet, he put his hand out. I handed the hair ties to him and let him do whatever he wanted with my hair.

I felt him sectioning it apart, afterwards beginning to braid it from the bottom up. He stopped braiding once he reached the top of my head and tied it off with one of the hair ties. He asked quietly if I had more of them and I grabbed a few from my bedside table and handed them back to him. He thanked me quietly and continued doing my hair. He braided it along the lower edges, slowing turning the braids upwards to meet where he'd ended the last braid. He pulled a few strands down from the very top, which he'd left unbraided, and slowly ran his hands through the rest to make sure it wasn't tangled. When he was done, he took the extra hair ties out and gathered the loose ends of the braids in his hands so they wouldn't unravel before he put a hair tie around the ponytail. I gently ran my hands along the braids and smiled. The ends of the ponytail tickled my neck as I turned to look at Verne. The smile on his face was painfully fond, and I blushed bright red almost immediately after seeing it.

"Thank you, Vernie. It feels pretty," I whispered. He leaned forward and kissed me.

"It's objectively attractive, but it looks gorgeous because it's on you," he murmured, staying close.

"I love you. Really, thank you for doing my hair. You always know what to do with it," I told him. He just smiled. "I'm gonna do some new drawings. I wanna… I wanna get them tattooed so I'll remember today."

"What are you gonna draw," Verne asked. I reached into my bedside drawer and pulled out my pens.

"Like I did yesterday, but with a shark and a whale instead," I told him. I uncapped one of the dark blue pens, but just as I was about to get started I had an idea. I turned to Verne and bit my lip. "Do you wanna draw one of them? Just, in whatever style you wanna do it." He smiled and nodded. He took the pens from me and laid them out carefully. He took the blue one from me and recapped it, adding it to the rest. He sat there for a few seconds, considering his options.

"I'll do the shark," he decided. I smiled and nodded and told him that would be okay. I gave him my left wrist and he held it gently in his right hand. I hadn't realized he was left-handed. He grabbed a black pen and hesitated. "Is it okay if I use my teeth?" I nodded and he pressed a small kiss to my cheek before uncapping the pen and dropping the top from his mouth. I closed my eyes while he drew, wanting it to be a surprise. I tried tracing it in my mind and imagining what it might look like. I was a little shocked to find that my mental picture was more realistic than I expected it to be.

The sound of pens being capped came after he let go of my wrist and preceded his quiet call of, "I'm done. You can look now." I opened my eyes and first saw Verne, looking at my face expectantly. I shifted and brought my wrist into my line of sight, and tears immediately sprung to my eyes. It was beautiful. The detail was limited because it was done on a small scale, but it was still obviously a shark. It was realistic while still having a certain stylization to it, the lines soft and smooth and the colors verging on unnatural: the shark was grey, but it had swirls of color around it like wisps of iridescent magic curling off of it. I pressed a long kiss to Verne's lips, smiling into it when he felt his happy hum.

"I love it, thank you so much," I murmured. He wiped tears from my eyes and smiled.

"Of course. Now, I assume you want Kelc to do the whale," he asked. I nodded. "I'll go get him then. You can write the words like you did yesterday while I'm gone." I nodded and watched him walk away. Only when he was gone did I uncap my black pen and write, in all caps, the word whale on my left wrist and shark on the right. I smiled at Verne's little signature, a simple _VL_ in the curve of the shark's body.

Kelcey arrived in a hurry: the way he skidded and slammed his shoulder into the door frame when he failed to catch himself proved it, not to mention his heavy breathing and messy hair. He spoke fast, almost like he thought he'd forget what he was going to say if he didn't get it out fast enough.

"Verne said you wanted me to draw a whale on your wrist so you could get it tattooed," he said, clearly asking if Verne was joking with him. I nodded and patted the bed next to me. He sighed in relief and walked over. "Can I see what Verne did first?" I shook my head and giggled when he whined, hiding my hand behind my back when he tried to peek. "Why not?" He was pouting, and I found it overwhelmingly adorable. I kissed his pout away and smiled when I pulled back.

"'Cause I know you're gonna try to make it match if you see it beforehand. I don't care that they match, I just care that they're gonna be drawn by my two favorite people," I explained. He blushed and smiled, and took my wrist in his hand gently. Kelcey was right-handed, which I already knew. I closed my eyes and let him draw, wondering what he'd do since my wrist was upside down. Time seemed to fly, and soon enough he was tapping my cheek. I opened my eyes and sent him a grateful smile before looking down at the drawing. From my side, it looked like a whale breaching, but when I turned my arm it looked like it was swimming down through the water. He'd signed it _K. Ambrose_ along the whale's tail. I just stared at it for a second, feeling tears well up again, before throwing my arms around his neck in a tight hug before pulling back to kiss him.

"Thank you so much," I told him. He smiled and kissed me in response. I showed him the drawing Verne had done and let him admire it, smiling at his little gasp. The whale he'd done matched Verne's pretty well and I was surprised, seeing that they had similar but unique styles, both vaguely realistic with an edge of stylization. Kelcey hadn't added any swirls of color, but there was a sheen of red, gold, and purple along the whale's fin. I was excited to get them done permanently. "Honestly, I expected the two of you to do more stylized drawings than realistic ones, but I love them either way. And I like the brighter colors both of you added, and I really like how yours looks different either way."

"That's why I drew it that way. I thought about it on the way over," he explained. He blinked before his eyes widened. "We gotta go get these tattooed right? And then we can go to the aquarium afterwards. I bet everyone's ready by now." I nodded and let him pull me to my feet. I left the pens on the bed and decided I could pick them up later. Kelcey gathered people to leave on the way, and soon we were all gathered and on the way to the pawn shop: Hanraoi had wanted to see if they had any antique weapons he could modify, and the others just liked looking at things. Aeron came with Kelcey, Verne, and I just because he wanted to see me being tattooed.

The man in the shop was very nice and very skilled. Verne paid for the tattoo before I had the chance to, and we were on the way to the aquarium around thirty-five minutes later. Kelcey texted the others to let them know we were going to the aquarium, and Cain assured us they were on the way. We all met up in front of the grand building, and I was suprised to find it looked more natural than the severe modernism the rest of the city sported. It gave off a refreshing feel.

The first thing I saw when we walked into the aquarium, after paying the entrance fee and receiving tickets in exchange, was a large tank filled with colorful fish. I walked up to it and gaped openly, surprised that there could possibly be so many different fish. It didn't seem possible for so many colors and shapes of fish to exist at all. I turned to Kelcey and Verne, and saw that they were both smiling fondly at me. I realized after a second that they weren't paying attention to the fish because they'd probably seen them before. But then, something caught their eyes and they looked at the glass behind me with a gasp. I turned and gasped too, covering my mouth and wiping at my eyes as tears welled up.

It was a person. There was a person in the tank, except he had a tail in place of legs. I'd heard of mermaids in stories, but the tail he had didn't look like a fish's tail. It looked more similar to the tail the whale that Kelcey had drawn on me earlier.

"Kelcey, what's going on? Why do they have a person in here," I asked. I could hear the mortification in my own voice.

"It's a siren. I'd heard they had one here, but I didn't think it was true. Sirens are like mermaids, but… they're known for singing beautiful songs in order to lure people to them so they can eat them," Kelcey said quietly. After he answered, I just stared at the siren, and he stared back. His eyes were the first thing I really noticed. They were big, almost disproportionally so compared to the rest of his face. They were a dark grey-blue behind the floating fringe of his dark, tangled hair, and their size made him look surprisingly innocent. He had a big, strong nose with a straight bridge, and his mouth was small, his lips thin. Overall, his face had a light, airy beauty to it despite the fact that he was supposedly a killer. I noticed, as I continued staring, that he was muscular, though in a slim, lean way that I figured must help in swimming. His skin looked pale, but there was an underlying darkness that greyed out and darkened his skin tone a little. I noticed circular scars all over his body, from his torso all the way down to his tail.

"What are those scars," I asked the air. Someone I didn't know answered.

"They're from giant squid; they were his main prey species when he lived in the wild," the man said. I turned and saw a middle-aged man who clearly worked here. I realized the others were all gone. "Your friends didn't want to distract you, so they asked me to tell you that they went to look at the rest of the exhibits and that they'd be back later." I nodded.

"Why do you have him… here?"

"He was found washed up on a beach. The people who found him turned him over to their government, and he ended up being sold to us. He's a sperm whale siren: you can tell by his tail," the man told me.

"He… he thinks, doesn't he? He's a person. So why do you have him locked up in a tank," I demanded. The siren kept staring at me, a certain sadness in his eyes. I realized that over the muscle was a layer of something that made him look softer.

"He's a monster. He'd have been killed if they weren't able to put him somewhere else. Now, would you like to hear more about him," the man asked. I swallowed my anger and nodded, still staring. I gently put my hand on the glass as the man began to talk. "Like sperm whales, he's built to survive in deep waters. He has a thin layer of blubber over his body and his skin is thicker than most, to protect him from the cold. He can also adjust the volume of his lungs as he dives, which he does using his v-jointed ribs, and his muscles are black because they contain high levels of a protein built to store oxygen. He's able to stay underwater for over an hour on a single breath, and we assume he's skilled with weapons like spears. We haven't tested it, of course, because that's highly dangerous."

"You said he lived mostly in deep water. Is it cold far down? Does the light reach that far?" I was sure the man was looking at me like I was stupid.

"Yes, it's very cold and dark. We believe he has poor eyesight, because he often uses echolocation moving around in the tank," the man answered.

"He looks… really tall. Or, long, I guess, since he doesn't have legs," I noted.

"He's one of the larger species of siren. He's seven feet long currently, only a fraction of an inch shorter when he does have legs. Sirens have the capability to use human legs when they come on land. However, they generally stay in the water because they are more suited and comfortable with life underwater. I've heard it's also very painful to switch from a tail to legs." I watched as the siren nodded slightly.

"Thank you for telling me about him. You can, uhm, go back to your job. I'll just stay here," I told the man, looking back over my shoulder. He left, and when I looked back I realized the siren had placed his hand on the glass in front of mine. His hand was bigger than mine, and his fingers were long and slim. I hadn't realized I'd started to cry until the siren pressed closer to the glass. I felt warm tears falling down my cheeks and wiped them with my left hand, though it didn't do much good.

"Don't cry," the siren said. I was shocked that I was able to hear it so well, because he was both behind glass _and_ underwater. His voice was deep but clear, if a little muffled by the glass. I realized that there was something weird about his teeth when he spoke.

"I-- I think you deserve my tears. You shouldn't be locked up behind this glass for people to just- just stare at for fun," I told him.

"You were just staring, though, weren't you," he asked; his voice was cavernous, and an odd match to the light, airy beauty of his face--though it matched well with his heavy gaze. I nodded and sighed.

"That's not why I was staring, though. This isn't fun, you shouldn't be locked up. I'm-- I'm horrified that you're stuck in this place," I told him. He looked shocked.

"You… you aren't like most people, are you," he asked me. I shook my head and rubbed at my eyes again. "Why are you different?"

"I-- I couldn't tell you. I used to be something called an Angelic, but I'm not anymore. I gave it up after we got stuck in this weird world, and I got this in return," I told him, showing him the rings on my fingers. He watched as they ran down my arm and morphed into a bracelet that slid down my arm. I remembered, after a moment, that it wasn't just weird jewelry; it had attacked something once. "My… my family used to beat me, actually, and I only escaped them when I hid on Kelcey's ship. I-- I was so scared at the time, but I'm glad it happened now. I've met so many wonderful people because of that. My life is so much better now because I was scared enough to run and hide." He looked immensely sad when I told him those things.

"I'm sorry you've been through those things," he said. I shook my head.

"It's okay. I'm long past them now. I've gotten better; it's been years. Thank you, though. I… you don't want to be here, do you," I asked. I could hear the apphrehension in my voice, because I was scared he'd tell me that he did want to stay. Thankfully, though, he shook his head. I stayed quiet for a moment before sitting down. He followed me, laying on his stomach on the sandy bottom. "How… how painful is it? Losing your tail? And how long does it take?"

"It hurts a lot. It's like having parts of you rot away and reform. It depends, but most others I talked to have said it takes around an hour unless you force it, which hurts more," he said. I nodded and sighed. "Why do you ask?"

"This thing doesn't just change its shape into different jewelry," I whispered. "It can do strange things." The bracelet shattered into a cloud of metallic pieces and swirled around my arm for a moment before settling back into rings again. "I'm sure I could use it to get you out of here." He opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't say anything and ended up closing it again. I noticed that his teeth weren't human; it had been what I noticed earlier. Instead they were pointed and rounded, and I was pretty sure he only had them on the bottom row.

"You-- would you really try to get me out of here," he asked, sounding incredulous. I nodded.

"I meant it when I said you didn't belong here. Also, this is gonna be really random, but-- why do your teeth look like that? Is it because of what that man said earlier, about you being a sperm whale siren?" He nodded and raised up a bit, opening his mouth to show me his teeth. I noticed that his top jaw had holes in it in the same places as his teeth, and when he closed his mouth again his teeth fit into the holes. "I've never seen teeth like that."

"They're like sperm whale teeth. We mainly eat squid, so we don't need those flat teeth that you humans do. We just kinda spear them with our teeth and swallow--squid are basically just water," he told me. I nodded and sighed, leaning against the glass and setting my forehead against the glass. "Ah, give me a second, I need to go take a breath." I watched him swim towards the surface, entranced by his strange movements. I'd never really seen anything swim like that. I watched him breathe out heavily and take a few deep breaths in before swimming back down. "Okay, I can stay down here for a while now. How are you gonna manage to get me out without getting… arrested or something?" I hummed for a moment as I thought.

"Actually, I _am_ gonna get arrested. You are too. The others will get us out, obviously, but it'll give you enough time to get legs so we don't really have to carry you," I told him. He looked alarmed as I stood up.

"Wait, you can't just--"

"Trust me. We'll be fine. Also, I don't wanna risk the others telling me not to let you out. They tend to worry about me a lot, so. Anyways, let's get started shall we," I asked. I didn't give him much time before I slammed my fist into the glass. Every living thing inside the tank startled, and the next time I hit the glass, the strange bit of metal from the rift shot into the glass and began to spider-web out through the glass. I heard shouting behind me, but I focused on breaking the glass.

"Please, stop, they're gonna--"

Water began trickling down the glass, and people wrenched my hands behind my back. It was harder without my hands free, but I compensated by concentrating harder. I started sweating, and I screwed my eyes shut and furrowed my brows, and I could feel myself frowning but it was _working_.

"Leave him alone!" I could tell from the overwhelming depth of the voice that it was the siren. The hands on me faltered for a second before pressing handcuffs around my wrists. The glass gave under the pressure of the water and shattered. Water spilled forth and I was glad I had my eyes shut, because I could feel the glass cutting my skin as it was shot forward by the water. Something slammed into me and the water picked me and the other thing up, pushing us away. The current lessened soon and I was left lying on the ground, something heavy on top of me. It gasped and groaned, and when I opened my eyes, I realized it was the siren. His face was contorted in pain. When guards came closer, he lashed out savagely; they piled on top of him and held him down, cuffing him as well.

They pulled me up and picked the siren up, needing several people to do so, and forced us into the back of the police car that had been stationed outside. I helped the siren lay out along the seats as well as I could, though his tail still ended up in an uncomfortable position against the door and window. His hair hung heavy and wet now that it was out in the open air, and I realized it was more tangled than I'd thought. I heard shouting and looked out the window to see the others calling my name. Verne caught sight of me inside the car, and his face went deadly blank.

"You're so goddamn reckless. I can't believe I'm spending my first time with legs in human jail," the siren muttered. His voice was quieter now, and clearer without the glass in the way. I shrugged.

"Like I said, they probably would have stopped me. It's been a while since they last had to save me, so I figured they could use the practice again. We won't be in jail long, seriously. Kelcey and Verne are gonna go bonkers once they realize I've been arrested," I told the siren.

"You do realize they are already aware you've been arrested, right? I heard them yelling." It took a moment to process, and when it did my eyes widened of their own accord.

"Shit."

* * *

  
We didn't even make it to the jail. Verne and Hanraoi had somehow gotten hold of a car, which Verne was driving. They were following along, and the moment they pulled up alongside the car I was in, Hanraoi rolled down the window and leaned out of it. He didn't even look at the car as he shot the wheels: he stared straight at me, something akin to murder in his eyes. I assumed that they were all upset with me. The car came to a fast stop, and the men in the front didn't have even two seconds before the driver's side door was yanked open. I squeezed my eyes shut just before two shots went off, and I flinched when I felt something splattering against my face. I didn't want to think about what it was. Hanraoi yanked the back door open and groaned.

"You did all this just to get the _fucking_ siren out! Arrian, what the fuck?! I-- Verne! Get over here and help me get this thing in the back," Hanraoi yelled. A door opened and then slammed shut; I kept my eyes closed.

"You realize I'm a living, breathing thing, right? I'm _not_ just a thing, and I take a lot of offense to be called a thing," the siren muttered.

"Shit, your voice is deep." I was pretty sure that was Hanraoi. That assumption mostly came from the fact that I was pretty sure that Verne was much too angry to be doing any talking.

"You're all useless. If you bother to use your limited brain cells, you'd understand why. I'm a _fucking_ sperm whale. Most of us have deep voices," he muttered. The door on the other side slammed shut, and the door next to me opened violently. When nothing happened for a few seconds, I opened an eye and peeked out the door. It was Verne, like I'd thought, and he wasn't just angry. Verne was terrifyingly _pissed_. I turned and tried to climb out of the car, but it was difficult to do without my hands; regardless of that, Verne didn't help me. I stumbled out of the car and he slammed the door after me; I flinched and walked towards the car they'd likely stolen. The siren was sitting up in the back seat, and I was crying by the time I sat down in the other car. I kept my face down, not wanting to make them any angrier. The siren saw, though, because he didn't have much of a choice. Verne slammed this door too and climbed back in, driving away quickly.

"Hey," the siren said. I swallowed and sat back, turning away from him. My hair was terribly messy, a result of the water and rough handling by the police, and strands hung across my face. "My name is Rem Barbeau. I realized I never told you."

"My name is Arrian," I said, sounding as miserable as I felt. Verne slammed on the brakes and I lurched forward. He turned around and stared at me, though it felt more like glaring.

"You're crying," he asked. I couldn't figure out if he was angry or sad or disappointed. I shook my head.

"It's fine. Keep going. We have to get out of this place before they arrest us again," I muttered. Verne muttered something under his breath and I sniffled. I saw Verne's hands tighten on the wheel and decided that I really hated it when he was mad.

"Your hair looked nice earlier. I mean, it's messed up now ‘cause of the water, but it was really pretty," Rem told me. I could tell he was trying to cheer me up, but it only made Verne angrier.

"Don't fucking talk to him," he said, all but growling the demand. Rem grumbled and ignored him. "I don't think anyone's ever done my hair. Maybe when I was younger, but it's been so long since it was dry that--"

"You don't deserve the right to talk to him! Shut your mouth," Verne demanded. Hanraoi was glaring at me through the rearview mirror.

"Says you," the siren scoffed.

"The _fuck_ is that supposed to mean?!"

"You're treating him like shit, asshole. I don't care what you are to him, right now you're as good as nothing in my eyes. He was just trying to do the right thing, and he only did it this way because he trusted that you guys would come and save him! And you did, but you're doing it in a _really_ shitty way. Do you not have a little voice somewhere up there that ever, at any point, suggested, 'hey maybe we should tone it down a little because he looks _terrified_ '? You two scared the shit out of him! Honestly, I don't really think either of you should be talking to him right now. Maybe wait a few weeks; I know it'd take me _at least_ that long to forgive the both of you for treating _me_ like you are him," Rem spat out. Verne had the grace to look ashamed, at least, and I didn't look for Hanraoi's reaction. I pressed into the door as much as I could and stared out the window. We were getting closer to the ship. We'd be back on it and off towards space again anytime now.

"I knew today would be memorable. I just thought it'd be happier," I muttered.

* * *

  
It had been days. Rem really was just as tall with human legs, and we didn't have anything that would fit him properly aside from the oversized hoodies I liked to wear. I knew Kelcey and Verne would both be upset that I was letting him wear my clothes, but I didn't really have a choice. They'd have been more upset if he just walked around shirtless.

With his legs came a few other changes: his teeth changed into more human ones, and his muscle lost its black tone. He still had the layer of blubber that made his face look chubby. He stayed near me, because I was the only one not mad at him and the only one who'd shown any form of kindness towards him. I was sure it was also partially out of a feeling that he had to protect me from the others because of the way Verne and Hanraoi had treated me the night we went to the aquarium. He glared at everyone that came close to either of us and kept as close to me as he could.

I wore swim shorts and a t-shirt and gave him the biggest pair of swim shorts we had for his first shower on the ship. I knew Kelcey and Verne were upset about that too, but it couldn't be helped. I showed him which bottle to use for his body and explained how to wash out his hair. It was difficult the first time, and I had to run out to get a brush so I could untangle his hair. It was after that first shower that I learned his hair was a dark grey that matched his tail in the water and it got curly when it air-dried; it was no wonder his hair got tangled.

I learned that Rem's family had been attacked and he'd been the only survivor. I learned that he had trouble sleeping because he was used to constantly being on guard in the ocean, and he also felt restless a lot of the time for the same reason. He was caring and selfless, and he often turned any brewing fight between the others and I onto himself. He was usually quiet and reserved, preferring to listen. Most of the time we spent together was in silence, just watching shows or reading. We determined he really needed glasses, and he was often squinting in an attempt to see better. He hated tight clothes and usually went barefoot or wore a random pair of flip-flops we found in a box. He had very long toes, which seemed even longer because his feet were so big.

His favorite food (really the only thing he'd eat) was seafood. He liked it best raw, but we'd also found that he enjoyed fried sushi. Sweets, though, had been a revelation and were now some of his favorite foods. He mostly preferred cold sweets like ice cream and natural ones, like fruits. He really liked putting slices of green apples in sugar; it was something about the sweet and sour contrast, I think, because he liked a lot of similar combinations as well. Warm sweets like cake and cookies weren't as high on his list of favorite foods. His birthday was still a while away, seeing as it was May 4th and it was mid-summer. I told him that I couldn't remember when my birthday was.

We were sitting on the couch, and Rem was letting me introduce him to Mr. Ed. He'd never seen a horse before, though he knew that it wasn't an animal that could talk. I was so engrossed in the show that I didn't even notice someone approaching until Rem tensed up and pulled me closer to his side. Kelcey stood in front of us, looking nervous.

"Uhm, we wanted to… have a meeting. With everyone. So we can discuss things and sort out problems and-- will you come," he asked quietly. I could tell that Rem didn't want to, but I forced him to stand up with me. He dwarfed all of us, even Verne and I, and that became obvious when he sat in the same room as everyone. He crossed his arms and squinted, though it came across as glaring. Verne was the first to stand up. He was fidgeting with his hands and biting his lips, and he looked conflicted.

"Arrian, I-- I'm so sorry for how I acted when we came to get you out of that car. We, just, we didn't know what had happened to you and we were all worried. And I was upset that you'd do something rash and reckless like that without us around to help you. And, all I've ever heard of sirens is that they killed people and ate them and-- they've always just been mindless monsters to me. That's clearly _not_ what you are, Rem, and I'm sorry for that perception of you. Thank you for taking care of him while we couldn't," he said. He started crying and Kelcey pulled him into a hug. They sat back down and Hanraoi leaned forward.

"I'm not that sorry. You shouldn't have done something as stupid as that just because you felt like it. You put yourself in danger and you worried us and, by extension, also put us in danger. Granted, it was for a just cause, though whether it was reasonable is very much so up for debate. The next time you get another grand idea, whether it be _go down the maintence tunnel_ or _break the siren out of the aquarium_ , wait for us. We're here to help you," Hanraoi said.

"I'm mostly just jealous and upset about, uh, you and the siren spending so much time together. And the, uh, shower. I know you were wearing clothes and you haven't showered with him since, but it still upset me," Kelcey said. He was blushing bright red.

"I understand. I won't say I'm not gonna keep spending time with Rem, because he's my friend and I enjoy his company, but I _can_ guarantee that I won't shower with him again. I might play with his hair though. His hair is nice," I said. Kelcey smiled and nodded. I stood up and gave Kelcey and Verne a hug each before stepping back. "Is there, uhm, anything else?" Rem was the one who stood.

"First, I'd like to say that my name is Rem Barbeau. I understand that I'm new, and that all of you have known Arrian for far longer than I have. However, I will say this once and only once: if I ever again feel that any of you are being unnecessarily cruel to him for no good reason, I will not hesitate to hurt you in return. And if it ever happens that any of you are being mean to him, you better have a damn good reason. Talk out your problems before you just start yelling at each other," Rem insisted. Everyone nodded, and I smiled.

"I… I'm glad we're on good terms again-- or, getting there at least. It's been killing me to be fighting with everyone," I said. I wiped tears from my eyes and smiled when I felt arms surrounding me. It was so nice to be surrounded by warmth again. I smiled at Rem over everyone's heads and sighed happily at the small smile he gave me in return.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> because i have no impulse control when it comes to writing and because a) rem needed to get his glasses and b) i wanted to give him lil robots, this happened. hi :DD

The bazaar was massive. According to some of the others, it was like a mall that wasn't constrained by the walls of a building. They were the places that people had gone in older days to find strange and unique things. I'd never been to one, and I was excited because I was curious.

I stared down at the surface of the planet we were over, looking out a tinted window while Verne did my hair. Arrian had told me that Verne was great at doing his hair, and he'd practically begged Verne to do my hair for today. My hair was curlier than Arrian's, though it wasn't much longer because I'd gotten a haircut recently. Verne had french-braided my hair down the sides. He left the rest loose after tying the ends of the two braids together and took a few moments to gently brush out the rest of my hair before stepping back and putting the brush away. I looked at my hair in the mirror and smiled.

"Thanks, Verne," I said quietly. He nodded and smiled.

"Arri was right, this hairstyle does make you look prettier," he told me. I blushed heavily and covered my face with my hands. When he turned around and saw me, he laughed. "What are you doing?"

"Look, I didn't get told stuff like that very often when I lived in the ocean, and when I was in the aquarium I just tried to stay out of sight. I'm not the best at taking compliments like that," I muttered. "What does that even mean though? How does having my hair braided make me prettier?" Verne hummed and walked out of the bathroom, and I followed him because I knew we were supposed to be going down to the surface of the bazaar planet soon.

"Mm, it doesn't make you look prettier, persay. I guess I didn't put it correctly. It just emphasizes that you're pretty. With your hair out of your face, you can actually see what you look like. Your face isn't as chubby anymore so you don't look as child-like or have that kind of cuteness, but something about the proportions of your face is just inherently pretty," he told me. I swallowed thickly and looked away.

"Uh, thanks. It's probably because I'm a siren. I mean, I've never killed anyone--it's usually the surface-dwelling sirens that do that--but I think my kind just tend to be pretty. My mother told me that sirens all have a natural kind of ethereal or untouchable beauty, and that's why humans are so keen to just jump into the water when they see us," I explained. Verne nodded.

"I agree with your mother. I mean, honestly if I saw you in the ocean I'd probably jump in, especially if you already had Kelcey or Arrian down there with you. Of course, I might get scared after realizing how big you are, but you do seem pretty untouchable a lot of the time," Verne said. I crossed my arms and followed him, ducking through doorways too short for me. Nothing on this ship was built to accommodate me.

"I think that's just me, honestly. Most of the sirens I've met outside my family were pretty nice. I'm just… not," I muttered. He glanced up at me and sighed.

"You're actually really nice, but it's in a different way than most others are nice. You… thank you again for being Arrian's friend while we were being dicks. I know you probably don't consider it just being nice, but I do," he told me. I blushed again and sighed.

"I… well, thanks, I guess." Verne nodded, and then we entered the loading bay where everyone else was waiting. Arrian smiled up at me before Verne moved over to him and took his hand. I smiled softly at the two of them, and the ship began to slowly descend.

* * *

  
It had been suggested that Hanraoi and I go to get some glasses for me: we'd realized, at some point during the past few months, that I had terrible sight and desperately needed glasses. If we had time left over, we were supposed to get some clothes for me as well, though Arrian had taken most of that job. He enjoyed shopping for clothes.

The eye exam hadn't taken very long, and we'd gotten a prescription that we could give to the people who'd make my glasses. We were supposed to keep it, so we could use it to get new glasses anytime I broke mine. They suggested yearly exams, to make sure my prescription was still working. The glasses were supposed to be done fairly quickly, so I hung around the shop with Hanraoi.

People kept looking at me. I supposed it was because I was so big, and people were usually afraid of people as big as I was. I didn't like it very much. Sitting down didn't help either, because my clothes were too small and my face was pretty and I would never not draw attention. I fidgeted in my seat and fiddled with my hands, furrowing my brows at the ground. It was blurry, like most everything else was. Even my poor sight didn't help make me oblivious to the attention I got, because I could feel their eyes on me. It was something I'd developed in the ocean to help keep me safe, and I'd hated it since I was captured and put in that stupid aquarium.

"Hey," someone said. I startled before realizing the voice was familiar and turning to see that Hanraoi was staring at me too. "Are you okay?"

"What do you mean," I asked. He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You look really uncomfortable, plus you're all fidgety. What's up," he asked.

"I don't like everyone watching me," I whispered. "I can't see them staring, but I can feel it."

"Oh… I, uh, I don't think I can help with that," he said, sounding apologetic. We'd become a bit closer after the meeting that had brought everyone together again, and he often showed me how mechanical things worked after learning how interested I was in just learning things.

"It's okay. You don't have to do anything. They said they'd be done soon, right," I asked. He nodded, and I sighed in relief. "Okay. I'll just deal with it until then, and afterwards we'll be able to leave." Hanraoi nodded before glancing back up at me.

"So, if your eyesight is this bad, how did you see in the ocean," he asked. I smiled.

"My kind spends most of our time really deep in the ocean. There's no light down there, so we don't need to see very well. We can echolocate, though I think it works better in the water than it does above ground. I'm not even sure if I'd be able to do it like this, actually…"

"That's really cool, actually," he said. It seemed like he was going to say more, but the woman at the desk called his name. He went to the counter and came back a minute later. "She gave me two copies of the prescription, in case we lose one. Here, these are for you." I took the plain, black case in my hands and opened it carefully. It snapped open in a single motion and startled me. I pulled the glasses from the case and Hanraoi took it back, closing it and putting it in his pocket. "I'll keep your other pair and this case for now. I'll give them to you on the ship." I nodded and just stared at the glasses. They were smaller than almost anything I'd ever had, and far more delicate. When I'd asked Hanraoi earlier if the glasses would fit my face, he'd laughed and nodded before telling me that the glasses self-adjusted the first time so they'd fit properly before conforming to that size. These glasses had a simple black frame around the lenses. I licked my lips and turned them over, opening what Hanraoi had told me were the arms of the glasses. They were hooked at the end, to keep them from sliding off my face according to Hanraoi. I carefully slid them onto my face and closed my eyes for a second, waiting for them to finish adjusting to my face before opening my eyes.

I'd never had clear vision. I'd never really been able to see much farther than an inch in front of my face, because everything farther than that was a messy blur of color in very vague shapes. Opening my eyes again was like nothing I'd ever experienced. Within the space of three seconds, I'd put something on my face and suddenly I could _see_. Everything was sharp and incredibly clear, and I think I forgot to breathe for a second.

Suddenly, someone was standing front of me saying, "Wow, those actually suit you really well," and it took me a full five seconds to realize that it was Hanraoi. My jaw dropped and I felt my cheeks growing warmer, and I covered my mouth. Hanraoi was a lot cuter when he wasn't a messy blob of dark colors. "What? Why does your face look like that?"

"I-I-I didn't, uhm, realize that you were, uh, s-so, well, c-cute? You, uhm. You look a lot better when I can, uh, actually see. Uh. Sorry, just. Wow," I stammered out. I blushed even more and felt the tips of my ears getting hot too. I didn't even realize my ears could blush. Hanraoi was blushing too, his mouth working uselessly as he tried to figure out what to say. He covered his face and turned around, pacing in circles for a few seconds before turning back to me with his eyes covered but his mouth unhindered.

"Uh. Thanks? Wait, so you have no idea what any of us actually look like," he asked, sounding somewhat incredulous. I shook my head, glad he'd uncovered his eyes after the awkward thanks.

"I mean, I had a better idea earlier because you were closer to me, but I mostly rely on voices," I told him. He mouthed another wow before taking my hand away from my face and using it to pull me out of my chair.

"Well, okay then. Glasses are covered. We can go get some clothes if you want, or we can just go back to the ship. Your choice," he told me as we walked out of the small store.

"Uh. I can wander around on my own if you have something you need to do. I can handle myself," I told him. He bit his lip and nodded.

"Okay. You've still got the communicator I gave you, right?" I nodded. "Okay, good. The ship is marked on the map in case you get lost, and you can use it to contact any of us if you need help. If, uh, people keep bothering you by staring, tell me. I'll figure out something to help. It won't take me long to get what I need, so we can meet back here if you want or we can just go back to the ship separately." I nodded.

"Yeah. I think we should probably meet up back here, I'm still not very good at using that thing," I told him. He nodded and smiled, telling me he'd send a text when he was done before he turned and walked away. I watched him walk through the crowd for as long as I could before he disappeared. When he was gone, I turned and blew out a breath, wondering what to do now. Someone tapped on my arm and I turned to see a small man staring up at me. Even compared to the rest of the crowd, he was very short.

"Hello there. I noticed you came out of that store there," the man said, gesturing towards the place I'd gotten my glasses from. I nodded. "I could set you up with some cybernetic implants that would negate the need for those glasses. I'm a cyborg myself and have the same implants I'm offering you, and I can assure you that they're perfectly safe." I didn't know what a cyborg or an implant was, and because I was curious and wanted to know I nodded. The man smiled and started walking away. For a small man he walked fast, and I had to take a few long steps to catch up and keep pace with him. Following him was confusing, because he took a lot of turns and was easy to lose in the crowd.

I did lose him eventually, and as I was turning around to try and find him I tripped over my own feet and stumbled backwards. All of a sudden I could feel coarse fabric that was rubbed softer in places, and I realized I must have stumbled through one of the curtains over the backs of the stalls that were set up in the bazaar. When I sat up, I realized it didn't look like I was in the back of a bazaar stall. Instead, I was in some strange, mechanical… place. It was like the ship, but worse because the ship didn't look like it was made of much metal. They'd decorated it so that it looked and felt more like an extensive home. This place, though, was cold and almost clinical, full of soft whirrs and beeps. It felt, very distinctly, like one giant machine. It felt like some strange machine that I was trapped in.

I hadn't told the crew yet, because it hadn't been much of an issue, but I didn't really like machinery. I was curious about it, but being surrounded by too much of it made me feel nervous and anxious and scared. I felt overwhelmed. When I'd first been caught, I'd been trapped in a strange lab. There had been a lot of strange machines that made terrible noises, and they'd used a lot of them on me. I'd become scared of machines, though learning about them from Hanraoi had helped just a little bit.

Nothing could prepare me for whatever this place was, though. It was too much all at once, and when strange little things rolled up to me and started making weird noises at me, I scrambled away from them. Bigger ones showed up behind them, making the same noises, and I realized that they were probably mad at me for coming into their place. I'd told Verne earlier that most of the sirens I'd met were kind. I hadn't told him about the violent ones, the territorial ones. I realized that these mechanical monsters might be like them. I didn't have anything to fight them with. I scrambled to my feet and ran, sure that the strange things in this place were going to kill me for trespassing where I shouldn't be.

I ran until I felt like I could no longer breathe and turned into an open doorway, slamming the door shut behind me. The light turned on automatically and I flinched, looking around wildly. I realized that I was in a room full of weapons and sighed in relief, sliding down the door as the tension bled out of my body. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, glad that my glasses still worked in this place and had shown me the things in this room. After a moment I stood up and walked around the room, scanning the racks of weaponry. I smiled when I found a spear. As I took it down, I was reminded of the ones I'd used in the ocean, though this one was made of sleek metal instead of rough, carved whale bone. I accidentally clicked a button and a tongue of flame shot out of the end. I tightened my grip on the weapon as my eyes widened, and something like lightning left the end of it when I clicked another button. I nearly threw the spear away, but it made me feel more safety than fear so I kept it.

I carefully opened the door and looked up and down the hallway, watching for anymore of those mechanical things from earlier. I remembered Hanraoi mentioning something called a robot, and I figured that those things were probably robots. I stepped out into the hallway quietly and left the door open, walking around quickly. I was trying to find a way out of this place, but I was terribly lost and I wasn't sure the map in Hanraoi's communication device would help me. I found myself in a big open room, empty of anything aside from a few shelves with shiny objects and things that moved in strange ways. I kept the spear firmly in hand and cautiously walked farther into the room. When a pack of smooth, metal orbs suddenly appeared in front of me, I screamed and swung the spear at them.

"Hold on!"

I looked wildly around the room, trying to find the source of the voice.

"In front of you. The little spheres!"

"What," I muttered.

"I'm the thing that talked! We didn't know what language you spoke when you first got here, but obviously our second guess was right because you're responding!"

I stared at the little spheres. When they talked, little white lines showed up on their surface.

"We don't want to hurt you! We know you came here on accident. We have to negotiate your exit."

"Why can't you just let me leave," I asked. There were seven of the little things, and they spiraled around each other until they started talking to me, at which point they went still. After they were finished talking, they began to spiral around their own axis and rejoined the slow orbit around the one in the center. They switched positions a lot, so it was hard to keep track of them.

"That's how places like this work. You can't leave without giving something up. Your friends ended up in a place like this a while ago, though it wasn't like this. Their place was more… purple in space. Most of them don't remember because of another rule these places have, but you won't have to give up anything major like they did. There's only one of you, so it'll be easier to let you out."

"Uhm, how do you guys like it here," I asked. They seemed to speak with each other before the one closest to me moved and talked to me.

"It's okay, though it's a bit boring. We've seen everything this place has to offer."

I glanced down at the spear in my hand before biting my lip.

"I can give you this. But, uhm… honestly, you guys are really nice and cute. Would you want to come out with me? Like, go back to the place I came from? I have a friend who really likes machines, I'm sure you'd have a lot of fun talking to him," I told them.

"The spear is definitely valuable enough to pay for all of us. Do you want us to change before leaving? It's easiest in here."

"What do you mean change," I asked. Instead of telling me, the one in the middle just showed me by changing into a pyramid shape, keeping it for a few seconds before turning back into a ball. "Oh. Sure, if you want to." They all stopped moving for a moment and changed shapes. I didn't recognize what they changed into for a moment, but then I realized they'd turned into little sperm whales. They were all slightly different, and that made them easy to recognize. When they spoke again, I realized the colors of their speech lines were different as well.

"Are you ready now?" I set the spear down and watched as it dissolved into a weird mist. It reminded me of what Arrian had done with his purple jewelry to get me out of the aquarium.

"Do you guys have names?"

"We do not. We'd happily receive them from you." The one that had spoken had a pretty seafoam color to it, so I decided to name the rest of them after their colors as well. I named that one Beryl, after a nickname my mother had given me. The red one I called Ruby, the blue one Sapphire, the pink one Rose Quartz, the white one Opal, the green one Emerald, and the black one Obsidian.

"Well, uhm, I think I'm ready now," I told the newly named robots.

"Close your eyes. When you open them, we'll be back in the place you came from," Ruby told me. I nodded and closed my eyes. There was a strange pulling sensation and I hesitantly opened my eyes when it ended. I saw the alley I'd followed the man down and the robots floated into view again.

"Okay. We're back. I have no clue how long I was in there, but it's probably time to go back to the ship. I'll check the comm…" I said, trailing off as I patted down my pockets. I found it in my sweatshirt pocket and opened it up to find a missed call and a few missed texts, all from Hanraoi. They were fairly recent, so I assumed it hadn't been too long. "We should go. Hanraoi is getting worried."

"We can download the map and lead you back to where you need to go to meet your friend," Obsidian told me.

"Oh. Okay. That's pretty cool and really nice, actually. Uh, here you go? It's the eyeglass shop, we went there earlier," I told them. Obsidian floated closer and hovered over the top of the device for a few seconds. It's eyes lit up with a black light before dimming again.

"Follow me!"

I obeyed, following the little whale shaped robot while the other ones followed behind me. We reached the little shop quickly because the robot took shortcuts I wouldn't have found, and Hanraoi ran to me and hugged me, short but tight, when he saw me.

"I got worried about you when you didn't respond! Where were you," he demanded. He looked both scared and upset.

"I'll explain on the way back to the ship. It might take a little bit," I told him. He sighed and nodded, and I took his hand in mine carefully. His calloused hand felt very small in mine despite the fact that he had some of the biggest hands among the crew.

"What are these little robots," he asked curiously as we began to walk. I smiled and began to explain the place I'd been in to him, entirely ignoring all the eyes on us.

**Author's Note:**

> if you wanna talk with me, my twitter and curiouscat are both under @catfacekathryn


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